UK PM and NHS appealing for volunteers as 500k book boosters in a day

UK PM and NHS appealing for volunteers as 500k book boosters in a day
December 14, 2021, 8:00 am

COVID vaccine-Injection/Pixabay

The BBC reported that over half a million people booked their Covid booster jabs on Monday - despite the NHS website crashing as thousands sought top-up doses.

Boris Johnson revealed the figure a day after pledging that boosters would be offered to all over-18s by 31 December.

The BBC said that long queues formed at walk-in vaccination sites on Monday, with some people waiting five hours to get jabs.

It mentioned that the PM and the NHS are now appealing for volunteers to help get jabs into arms and run vaccination centres.

UK Prime Minister taking booster shot/Official Facebook page

It added, the prime minister and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard are appealing for "tens of thousands" of volunteers - from trained vaccinators to stewards - to join the "national mission" and help achieve the accelerated booster rollout.

Mr Johnson said: "Many thousands have already given their time but we need you to come forward again, to work alongside our brilliant GPs, doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to deliver jabs and save lives.

"So please come forward if you can."

No 10 said hundreds more sites, mobile units and pop-ups would be set up across the country including at football stadiums, shopping centres and racecourses in the next week.

Monday saw online booster jab bookings open for people aged 30 and over - a day after the prime minister announced an expansion to the rollout amid the "Omicron emergency".

People aged 18 to 29 will be able to book their booster jabs online from Wednesday.

At the moment there are nearly 3,000 vaccine sites across the country run by more than 90,000 volunteers.

After last week's NHS recruitment drive for 10,000 paid vaccinators, 4,500 people have registered their interest while 13,000 have come forward as volunteer stewards.

Source: BBC

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