Amid continued uncertainty about the Omicron Covid variant, vaccinations have been continuing at pace in response to government calls for a ramping up of the booster programme.
Although in some places vaccinations are reported to have stalled, at the Rye vaccination centre we saw almost 2,000 patients last weekend. With many families prioritising Christmas preparations the hard working Rye vaccination volunteers continue to turn up day and evening. Some have even spent out of hours time decorating the centre for the festive season.
Still waiting to hear about the expanded programme
After the announcements of the expanded programme last week we await instructions from the NHS to implement the changes. When the instructions do come, perhaps as early as next week, booster jabs will be offered to all over 18s by the end of January. People will be called forward by age group via NHS letters and text. The changes include:
- The gap between second dose and booster will be reduced from six to three months
- Severely immune compromised people will be offered a fourth dose of a vaccine
- Children aged 12 to 15 will be invited for second dose three months after first.
With both Pfizer and Moderna vaccine being supplied, boosters can be either, regardless of what was delivered for jabs one and two.
The housebound
With news that almost two thirds of the housebound are still waiting to receive booster vaccines, if anyone is aware of individuals then they should notify the vaccination centre and we will feed back their details to the NHS.
Accessing the Rye centre
As and when we know about the future changes we will publish them on @ryepfizer. The NHS has said they will let you know when it’s your turn.
With demand increasing, we prefer patients to book. If you want to come to the Rye centre then reject other locations offered by the booking system and try again until Rye is offered. Rye opening times are published on @ryepfizer.
The Rye centre is in the Tilling Green Community Centre. Mason Road, Rye TN31 7BE. The clinical lead is by Clarity Chemists.
Image Credits: Anthony Kimber .