Covid-19: Hampshire GP urges people to get booster jabs amid fears of Christmas spike

The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board is encouraging people to continue to get their Coronavirus vaccine doses as the winter approaches in order to prevent a spike in cases after Christmas.

The NHS team has currently distributed nearly 4.9 million doses of the vaccinations and is hoping that they can reach their target of five million doses by December 8, which will mark the two year anniversary of the role out of the first vaccinations.

People aged 50 years and over, those in care homes, and those aged five years and over in clinical risk groups are currently being offered an autumn booster of COVID-19 vaccine.

Matt Nisbet, clinical lead for the Covid-19 vaccine programme, said: ‘At the moment we are about 100,000 vaccinations short of five million and winter is a time when a lot of people need a bit of help with this and by having a vaccine it can help the NHS.

‘We are all very keen to get life back to normal but Covid hasn’t gone away. In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, there are still 245 people in hospital with Covid, people are still dying of Covid, so it is really important that people take up the vaccine so it can also free up beds and space for people that are waiting for surgeries and operations in hospitals.’

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The NHS is still seeing a number of people needing treatment for the virus and, as winter comes, the care board are urging people to have their vaccinations to ensure that doctors and nurses can deal with the demand for care.

Matt added: ‘Christmas is a time when we all like to see family and friends and doctors here are expecting that there will be a further spike and it is really key to get people vaccinated.’

Louise Read, 36, from Havant, had Covid last year while she was heavily pregnant, and she was in a critical condition where her mum and partner were told to say goodbye to her because they did not expect her to survive.

She was induced into a coma after giving birth to her son, Ollie, and her partner was told to wait outside for his new son.

Louise has since made a miraculous recovery and her son is healthy too, but she is urging everyone who can, to get their vaccinations.

She said: ‘There are times when it still feels horrible, I still look back to last year and the recovery from it all and unless you get it you don’t really know how bad it was.

‘I sometimes wonder if I wasn’t pregnant would it have been so bad, but you just never know.

‘The thing is they have bought something out that can really help, so why not get it done and have the jab because it could save your life.'

The Havant mum is encouraging people to get the vaccinations as we go into the winter months as Covid is ‘still about, it hasn’t gone away.’

Helen Atkinson, director of public health at Portsmouth City Council, added: ‘Right now we are going into what is going top be a really difficult winter and if you already look at the pressure on the NHS, we have got Covid in the community still.’

Helen said the further pressure of the cost of living crisis, when people are going to be avoiding turning their heating on, creates more chance of getting the flu, Covid or a respiratory virus.

She added: ‘We have just come out of a wave that we had in the autumn but it is likely that there will be a future wave over winter but it is more likely to be in February unless we get a new kind of variant.’

She has encouraged people to continue to wash their hands, wear masks if appropriate, keep your distance and ensure that if you are unwell, you stay at home where possible.

The NHS are also offering a number of walk in appointments for people that need to get their vaccine and they are being held across the city.

These walk ins are being held at:

Goldchem Pharmacy, Southsea

Saturday, November 26, 9am to 12.45pm

Cosham Fire Station, Cosham

Wednesday, November 30, 10am to 4pm

Bosmere Medical Practice, Havant

Sunday, November 27, 9am to 1pm

Tesco, Havant

Thursday, December 1, 10am to 6pm

Davies Pharmacy, Havant

Saturday, November 26, 9am to 5pm

Monday, November 28, 9am to 5pm

Tuesday, November 29, 9am to 5pm

Wednesday, November 30, 9am to 5pm

Greywell Pharmacy Vaccination Centre, Leigh Park

Saturday, November 26, 9am to 5.30pm

Monday, November 28, 9am to 5pm

Oaks Healthcare, Waterlooville

Saturday, November 26, 9am to 1pm