GPs in East Lancashire have spoken out about the importance of getting your vaccine booster as cases of the Omicron strain continue to rise across the UK.
Researchers say our current vaccines might not work as effectively against the new Omicron strain causing people to question if a booster injection is even necessary.
Professor James Naismith, director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute in Oxford, has said the new variant will “almost certainly” make vaccines less effective, though they would still offer protection.
However, experts suggest that the third booster may well offer good protection in the face of the Omicron variant and may provide increased protection from hospital admission and death.
"If you had AZ before and have Pfizer or Moderna now, that is more likely to protect you than if you had more AZ…”
— Hyndburn BC (@HyndburnCouncil) December 14, 2021
💜Dr Fiona Ford, GP in Accrington, explains why the booster is important for us all, to keep our community safe this winter ❄️@NHSNW @EastLancsCCG pic.twitter.com/sCZN0fvFiB
(Credit: Twitter/@HyndburnCouncil)
Accrington GP, Doctor Fiona Ford, explains why the booster is vital for the community if you want to stay safe this winter.
She said: “It’s really impotant thay everyone who can comes and gets their booster injection as quickly as you can.
“The new variant is a bit worrying. The difficulty of it is that it is spreading really quickly.
“The other problem is that two doses of vaccine are not enough to protect you. If you have a booster, that really makes a lot of difference and it does give you a lot of protection.”
Those getting their booster might get a different vaccine type to ones they have received previously.
Doctor Ford said: “For instance, if you had AstraZeneca before and you come now and you have Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, that is more likely to protect you.”
“We want to keep all our Hyndburn community as safe as possible now and in the new year.”
Dr Abdul Mannan of Hazelvalley Family Practice in Haslingden is also urging everyone to get their booster vaccines as soon as possible.
Dr Mannan and his team are preparing for a busy festive period as they strive to meet the government’s ambitious booster vaccine targets.
He said: “Get your boosters – the evidence is very clear that even if you are double vaccinated, Omicron is escaping that immunity.
“Don’t worry about pressures on the NHS, just get your booster. That should be the public’s priority.”
Dr Mannan also addressed the public in a video where he explained the updated NHS vaccination programme.
He said: “So the question is why do we need that booster? We have plenty of evidence that people who have been vaccinated can withstand the virus better than people who haven’t been .
“If you have had the vaccine, even if it’s just one or two of them, your ability to withstand the virus is a lot better than somebody who hasn’t been vaccinated.
“That being said, for people who have been vaccinated their level of immunity to the Omicron variant is a lot less than what it was with the Delta variant.
“However, there is clear evidence that if you have the booster the level of immunity goes way beyond 75 per cent so it really shoots it back up and your ability to withstand the Omicron variant improves dramatically.
“Your chance of going to an ICU and struggling with breathing goes down immensely and your chances of dying will dramatically go down."
He added: “We’ll do our best to help out with the vaccination effort… but the difficulty will be that it is winter and there is naturally an increase in demand on our services at this time of year.
“Hopefully we will manage but it will be difficult.”
To book your booster jab visit the NHS website or find a walk-in vaccination centre near you.
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