THE UK’s daily Covid cases have gone up by 72,898 today, as the R rate also rose slightly.
It’s the fourth day in a row infections have risen, with concerns immunity is waning in older people.
The official R rate is now between 0.8 to 1.1 – as high as 1.2 in the South West.
Last week it rose to 0.8-1, possibly reflecting the recent rise in daily infections.
An R value between 0.8 and 1.0 means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 8 and 10 other people, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says.
Keeping up with boosters is the best way to stay protected from catching and spreading the virus, and ward off any new variants.
Data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed if you have your booster, you’re 85 per cent less likely to end up in hospital than if you’re unvaccinated.
Omicron is milder than other strains – especially in the vaccinated – but it can be more severe in the more vulnerable.
It comes as immunity starts to wane in older Brits, and hospital admissions creep up.
New daily infections in the UK have also increased in the last few days, moving from around 40,000-a-day last week to over 70,000 fresh cases yesterday.
To get ahead of this, Brits over 75 years old, care home residents and people over 12 who are immunosuppressed can get a booster in a few weeks.
NHS England is prepped to start dishing out vaccines to eligible people later this month, as long as they are six months on from their last shot.
The original plan was to start the next phase of the rollout from April, but anyone who is eligible before then can have another vaccine.
It has not been confirmed when exactly this might start, with some reports suggesting from March 21 – if you think you are eligible, wait for your invite.
An NHS spokesperson said: “The NHS continues to follow JCVI guidance accepted by Government, and in line with this, the NHS will be vaccinating eligible people with a spring dose six months after their first booster starting later this month for the small number of people eligible before April.”
And vulnerable 12-15 year olds can use the online portal to grab a slot.
Teens who are severely immunocompromised or with underlying health conditions are invited to get as protected as possible.
When told they can book in, it’s now even simpler to choose a day and time to have a jab.
Around 6,400 invitations have been sent to parents and guardians of eligible children urging them to get vaccinated by a local GP.
And now the NHS will be writing to about 4,400 teens currently eligible to invite them to book in using the national booking service.
