Boris Johnson has urged people to get their booster vaccine as he said up to 90% of those in intensive care had not had their third Covid jabs. On a visit to a vaccine centre in Milton Keynes, the prime minister said people should enjoy their new year celebrations while taking extra precautions such as ventilation and testing, and he urged people to take up the offer of a third dose. “I’m sorry to say this but the overwhelming majority of people who are currently ending up in intensive care in our hospitals are people who are not boosted,” he said. “I’ve talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care.” He added: “If you’re not vaccinated, you’re eight times more likely to get into hospital altogether. So it’s a great thing to do. It’s very, very important. Get boosted for yourself, and enjoy new year sensibly and cautiously.” The NHS has called on people to have a “jabby new year”, highlighting research from the Intensive Care National Audit and Research Centre (ICNARC) that found that at the start of last month about three out of five patients in London’s intensive care units (ICU) had not received a jab, a figure that it said was rising.
With new cases of Covid hitting 129,471 in England and Wales on Tuesday, the prime minister said Omicron continued to “cause real problems” even though it was “obviously milder than the Delta variant”. There were 18 new deaths within 28 days of a positive test in Tuesday’s figures. Johnson, who spent the Christmas break at Chequers with his family, suggested people should take tests before heading out for new year events, but the system has been dogged by shortages. Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, said the situation was “a total shambles”. “People are trying to do the right thing, follow the government’s own advice and test themselves regularly, but are prevented by the Conservative government’s incompetence,” he said. “They need to get a grip and provide enough tests so people can keep themselves and everyone else safe.” Daisy Cooper, the Liberal Democrats health spokesperson, said it was “now or never to get Covid tests to frontline workers. If the government doesn’t get its act together today then vaccine centres could soon grind to a halt, and patient safety could be at risk from further NHS and care staff absences.” Almost 90% of the population aged 12 and over have received a first dose of a Covid vaccine but only 56.9% have had a booster. The government texted everyone urging them to “get boosted now” and highlighted available vaccine slots over the festive period. However, it has stopped short of bringing in vaccine passports in England, instead introducing Covid passes that give people the option of showing proof of vaccination or a recent lateral flow test to enter some large indoor venues.