ALMOST a quarter of a million people booked Covid booster jabs in one day in a huge victory for Sun readers.
A record 234,241 in England came forward to secure top-up appointments in just 24 hours on Wednesday — eclipsing the previous daily high of 178,000.
The battle against the disease is far from won — and some MPs want the fight put on a war footing — but there has been a great response to pleas for people to get vaccinated before winter hits.
Professor Stephen Powis, medical director at NHS England, praised our Give Britain A Booster crusade.
And he said: “These figures show that it is helping to support the NHS and will help encourage people to come forward as soon as possible.”
More than 4.7 million have now had their third vaccination.
Prof Powis added: “Millions more invites are to be sent to eligible people over the coming days and weeks.
“We urge everyone who is invited to come forward as soon as possible and get their extra protection.”
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “It’s fantastic to see record numbers of booster appointments being booked since the campaign launched.”
Ministers could slash the wait for booster jabs from six months after the second dose to five months, it was reported last night.
The Daily Telegraph said it would mean most over-65s could be vaccinated by early November, rather than December.
Boris Johnson again urged people to get the extra jab so they fortify our defences against the bug and help him resist calls for fresh restrictions.
The PM vowed to stick with his plan and reassured voters he was not about to trigger Plan B.
That would mean face masks, working from home and vaccine passports.
But it emerged that officials have been focusing on a secret Plan C to bring back even tougher measures, including social distancing and bubbles, if Plan B is tried and fails to halt a Covid spike.
Whitehall sources admitted ministers were not told of this blueprint
No 10 is hoping next week’s school half-term will act as a mini-circuit breaker and bring down rates.
The PM, on a trip to Northern Ireland, said: “We are watching the numbers very carefully.
“Infections are high but we are within the parameters of what the predictions were, where we would be at this stage given the steps we are taking. We’re sticking with our plan.”
Tory MPs urged ministers to turbocharge the boosters rollout so freedoms are retained this winter.
But some Whitehall officials reckon it is more likely than not that Plan B will be imposed in mid-November after the COP26 summit in Glasgow.
Sources said ministers’ clear steer was that pubs, clubs and other hospitality should not be closed again and another full lockdown was off the table.
Downing Street is banking on the boosters to keep restrictions at bay and Wednesday’s surge in bookings was a desperately needed boost after the rollout’s wobbly first weeks.
Ministers have launched an advertising blitz to encourage people to book and the NHS has loosened appointment rules. But there are still more than a million people who are eligible for a booster and have not had it.
England’s 300,000 care home residents were at the front of the queue and should all get the top-up by November 1 — but only about 40 per cent have been reached so far.
Care home bosses say doctors are not bringing in vaccines or have been slow to arrange visits to the homes.
Scientists say that the rollout has suffered because the NHS is so busy.
