Covid-19: Walk-in vaccination boosters for over-30s as five new NI omicron cases confirmed

It brings the total number of omicron cases in the Province to 10, the UK Health Security Agency said.

Health Minister Robin Swann has responded by announcing the immediate introduction of walk-in vaccination centres, providing booster jabs to anyone aged 30 and over who is at least three months out from their second vaccine dose.

He said: “Given the scale of the potential threat posed by the omicron variant, we are taking additional emergency measures to get as many booster doses as possible administered before the end of this month.

“GPs, community pharmacies and trust hubs will all have a central and vital role in making this happen.

“It is also really important that people who are not yet vaccinated come forward for their first dose without delay.

“I am really encouraged by the increased number of first doses delivered in recent weeks.”

“Trust hubs are extending their opening hours and days of operation with immediate effect and hundreds of additional vaccinators are being recruited.

“The deferral of some planned routine health service activity is also under consideration to free up further capacity.”

Meanwhile, the target for giving every adult in England a booster jab has been brought forward by a month over fears of a “tidal wave of omicron” that could cause “very many deaths”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in a pre-recorded address to the nation on Sunday night, said Britain “must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” as he set a new deadline of jabbing everyone over 18 by the new year.

He said scientists had discovered that being fully vaccinated is “simply not enough” to prevent the spread of the coronavirus mutation and that, without a lightning speed mass booster campaign, the NHS could be overwhelmed.

The mission to administer millions of jabs by December 31 will see 42 military planning teams deployed across every health region, extra vaccine sites and mobile units, extended clinic opening hours to allow people to be jabbed around the clock and at weekends, and the training of thousands more volunteer vaccinators.

The announcement comes as the UK Covid alert level was raised to Level 4, up from Level 3. The UK, as of yesterday, recorded a further 1,239 confirmed cases of the omicron mutation, bringing the total number of cases to 3,137 – a 65% increase from Saturday’s total of 1,898.

• The Department of Health has announced three further deaths from the virus in Northern Ireland.

Sunday also brought an additional 1,548 confirmed cases of the disease.

There were 326 Covid-19 patients in hospitals on Sunday, with 30 of those in intensive care units.