London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 03, 2025

Covid-19: Two million booster jabs given in England

Covid-19: Two million booster jabs given in England

More than two million Covid booster jabs have been given out, NHS England has said, amid concern about how the health service will cope this winter.

England's chief nursing officer, Ruth May, said it was "fantastic" that people were topping up protection.

The over-50s and people with health conditions are among those being offered a third jab.

Health officials are worried about the impact of flu and Covid circulating at the same time.

Booster jab programmes are under way in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Third jabs are being given to people in certain groups at least six months after their second dose.

Ms May said so many people had received a booster shot in England because of the "incredible efforts of NHS staff".

She stressed that it would be "a busy winter period for the NHS".

"I have received my booster shot ahead of winter to protect myself and those around me - I would urge others to do the same," she said.

"It is quick, effective and provides really important protection against the virus."

Those eligible for a booster jab in England include:

*  those living in residential care homes for older adults

*  all adults aged 50 years or over

*  frontline health and social care workers

*  all those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19, and adult carers

*  adults who live in the same house as people who are immunosuppressed

Charities criticised the rollout of third doses last week, saying that many vulnerable people with weak immune systems had been unable to access a jab.

The UK recorded a further 133 deaths within 28 days of a positive Covid test on Saturday, and another 34,950 cases.

Meanwhile, more than 40 million people across the UK - 35 million in England - are being offered a jab this year in the biggest flu vaccination campaign so far.

And this includes, for the first time, all secondary school children up to the age of 16.

Flu kills about 11,000 people on average every winter in England, and along with other winter viruses also leads to more than 1,000 hospital admissions a day.

Research shows those infected with both Covid and flu are more than twice as likely to die as someone with Covid alone.

Dr Jenny Harries, head of the newly formed UK Health Security Agency, warned this week that the level of immunity to flu was likely to be lower this winter because very little of the virus had been circulating last year, because of social distancing and lockdown.

"It is really important people get vaccinated," she said.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×