Government says all adults in England offered booster jab, despite reports of no-shows
There are concerns after reports up to 40% of appointments are no-shows
Last updated 27th May 2022
The Government says every adult eligible for a Covid-19 booster vaccine in England has now been offered it.
They say a "huge national effort" has meant the NHS has met a target set by ministers, to offer the top-up jab to those aged 18 and over by the New Year.
The target was originally set as the end of January, but was brought forwards in response to the Omicron variant.
Concern over no-show appointments
The NHS Confederation said it was "encouraging" to see people coming forward for their jabs, but it had heard reports that some vaccination clinics were only a third full as cases of the Omicron variant continued to rise rapidly.
Chief executive Matthew Taylor said some primary care leaders had told the organisation that people were not turning up to as many as 40% of their booked appointments.
"It is encouraging to see people still coming forward for their first and second doses, as well as the massive achievement on boosters," he said.
"However, cases of Omicron are rising rapidly... Health leaders are worried about the level of illness and demand that their staff across the NHS could have to respond to in January and so, it is vital that everyone who is eligible takes up the offer of a jab or booster shot.
"Some primary care leaders are telling us their vaccination clinics are only a third full and that people are not turning up to as many as 40% of their booked appointments.
"While walk-ins continue to be on offer, they are calling on people to stick to their scheduled vaccine appointments and if they can't for whatever reason that they cancel with notice as this will help manage pressures, particularly given the staffing crisis we are facing currently."
'Record-breaking' NHS vaccination programme
Ministers say a huge increase in vaccination rates came as a result of their 'Get Boosted Now' campaign, with over 8 million top-up jabs administered in just over two weeks in England, between 12th December, when the new target was announced, and yesterday.
The NHS has set a new record for the highest number of vaccinations given in one day during that time, when over a million first, second, third and booster doses were administered on 18th December,
Health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “Our world-leading vaccination programme has meant tens of millions of people have been able to see their loved ones this Christmas knowing they have the protection of the booster.
“I am delighted to confirm we have hit our target of offering a COVID-19 booster to all adults by the New Year.
“I am incredibly proud of the work the NHS has done to accelerate the programme and offer my thanks to the frontline staff, volunteers, Armed Forces and British public who have made it possible for us to meet this commitment.”
The booster campaign in numbers
During the month of December, 180 new vaccination sites opened in England, bringing the total to over 3,000.
Over 30 million people received invitations from the NHS in 2021, to get a jab. This included 3.9 million letters, 26.7 million text messages and 14.7 million emails.
750 armed forces personnel have been drafted in to support giving out jabs.
Dr Emily Lawson, head of the NHS Covid vaccination programme, said: “I am hugely grateful for the extraordinary efforts of NHS staff and volunteers this year, who have gone above and beyond to roll out the NHS vaccination programme and who, in just over 12 months, have administered more than 110 million life-saving COVID-19 jabs.
"It is thanks to their tireless efforts that 28 million people have also received their vital booster jab since September, and countless records have been broken in recent weeks as the biggest and most successful drive in health history accelerated the booster rollout and offered all adults the opportunity to book their top-up dose.
“With COVID-19 cases continuing to rise rapidly, the best resolution you can make this new year is to protect yourself and those around you, so I urge you to come forward for your booster as soon as you can, and with hundreds of thousands of appointments available in the coming days, it has never been easier to grab your jab.”