More than 250 cases of Omicron variant confirmed across South West so far
Health bosses in our region have urged people to get vaccinated
Last updated 16th Dec 2021
There are still 227,000 people who have not received a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the South West.
That is according to the latest figures from NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, with 152,000 people yet to receive their second dose.
Health bosses across the region say "it's the best defence we've got" and they are urging people to get vaccinated.
As of Wednesday 15th December, people aged 18 and over in England became eligible to book a COVID-19 booster jab under the latest widening of the vaccination programme to protect the nation from the new Omicron strain of the virus.
Updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation means that every adult can get their third jab, as long as it is three months since their second.
Medical Director at NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, Dr Michael Marsh, says the request to expand the booster campaign comes at a time when the health and social care system is under "great pressure".
He told a briefing on Wednesday we all have a personal responsibility to stay safe: "It's not just about Omicron, it's about ordinary, other every day things in life.
"It's not the time to take high risks, it's not the time to do dangerous things. Really think about your own safety".
Dr Marsh added: "The Prime Minister indicated that some hospital and GP appointments will need to be deferred, so we are having to step down some things despite our desire to continue as much as possible.
"We really need to focus on the booster campaign and vaccinations because the better protected we are, the less we will see an increased demand through the winter period for all forms of healthcare.
"The less likely it is that we'll get sick or severely ill patients presenting to healthcare and the less hospital admissions we'll be having to deal with at a time when we expect to be really stretched; or even find ourselves in a position where we're having to make really difficult decisions about prioritisation".
So far, there have been 250 confirmed cases of the Omicron variant across the South West.
Cornwall Council has said our recent rise in cases is 'likely' being driven by the mutation.
Dominic Mellon, Deputy Director of Public Health England South West, tells us that cases are continuing to "grow rapidly" and they expect it to become the dominant strain.
He said: "We know that the risk assessment for Omicron is being updated all of the time. The evidence is growing and studies are increasingly showing that Omicron is transmitting more effectively than Delta.
"It has a definite growth advantage and we're seeing high secondary transmission rates as well.
"Even if we continue to hope for the best and plan for the worst, if Omicron is less severe than we've seen for Delta; then the very large numbers that we're seeing in terms of the cases in the population is likely to have an impact on hospitalisations.
"So there's a very real chance that the NHS could come under very sustained and unsustainable pressure over the winter months and that's what we all want to avoid".
As of Wednesday 15th December, 10,964,078 doses had been delivered across the South West.