More than 20,000 get their jabs in Shropshire in super booster weekend
More than 20,000 Covid booster jabs were offered over the weekend as Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin moved up gears to roll out the vaccine programme.
Chiefs say last week more than 25,000 residents took the jab as more vaccination sites increased capacity in the run up to Christmas Day.
Senior Responsible Officer for the county's Covid-19 vaccination programme Angie Wallace said 10,000 spaces were made available on Saturday and Sunday.
Ms Wallace said: "We’ve worked around the clock to ramp up capacity and I am so proud of all the teams who have worked so hard to achieve this.
“Now we really need the public to back us by coming forward and grabbing a jab. We would especially urge people to log on to the National Booking System and book their slot, giving them peace of mind that they will be seen. Alternatively, we have a number of walk-in clinics as well."
She said getting a jab early will provide a level of protection by the time we get to December 25 and that it is important as families were likely to be mixing more than normal.
"The booster jab is a vital line of defence against the Omicron variant, and we urge everyone to get it as soon as they are eligible.
“Without it, we risk a huge Covid wave in January that could put our hospitals under intolerable pressure.
“We all need to come together now and get a booster shot to limit the impact so that we can enjoy a happy and healthy Christmas - so I’d urge people to book right now.”
Booster jabs given in England have hit a record high, with more than 830,000 administered on Saturday.
A record 906,656 vaccine doses were given in total, including first and second jabs, NHS England said.
Of those, 830,403 were booster jabs.
A rate of around one million a day is needed if every adult is to be offered a booster jab by the end of the year.
