Members of the public being trained to give boosters in bid to save Christmas from Omicron threat

MEMBERS of the public are being trained up to dish out boosters as the country works to save Christmas from the threat of Omicron.

The rollout of the extra shot of vaccine has been ramped up as the mutant variant arrived in Britain.

AlamyMembers of the public are being trained up to give out booster jabs[/caption]

Ministers want as many people as possible to get their boosters earlier, to stop any more restrictions coming back in.

The arrival of the super strain has already seen mask wearing enforced again, and a change in travel restrictions.

But to combat any more coming in, and the variant spreading, regular Brits are being taught how to give out the vaccines.

This will speed up the rollout and allow more jabs to go in more arms, as the NHS is also trying to deal with the backlog of delayed treatments.

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the coronavirus vaccination programme “is all about speed”.

He told BBC Breakfast: “So the two challenges are going to be the logistics of actually delivering so much vaccine in a very short time and of course, it’s important that people come forward and receive those jabs in good time so that they can build up that extra immunity that we need to be sure that we’re protected against this new variant.

“So challenging month ahead for the NHS.”

Read our Omicron variant live blog for the latest news

Asked about the current pressures currently facing the NHS, he added: “The worry is that if you give somebody double work to do, they can’t do whatever else it was that they would have been doing.

“Here in Bristol where we’re actually recruiting people into the scheme, training people up to give vaccines to get extra pairs of hands, focusing not only on retired healthcare staff, but actually just members of the public who are willing and able to come forward.

“So there really is going to be a big build up to try and deliver this accelerated programme and I’m sure that is going on all over the country.”

It comes after 14 cases of the worrying Omicron variant have now been confirmed in the UK – with many more feared to pop up in the coming days.

Millions of Brits will get their Covid booster jab early after just a three month gap – in a bid to turbo-charge the nation’s immunity.

Government scientists confirmed the new advice yesterday, which will see an extra 13 million over-18s become eligible for a third shot before the end of the year.

Experts hope cutting the gap between the second and third doses of the jab from six to three months will allow the UK to get ahead of the new Covid variant.

Kids aged 12 to 15 will also be offered a second dose of the vaccine, in an attempt to shore up the nation’s immunity in the face of the worrying new strain.

This afternoon Health Secretary Sajid Javid said “the NHS will be calling people forward at most appropriate time” – so although you may be eligible you cannot yet go online and book in if over-18.

The NHS will limit first access to older groups and prioritise the vulnerable, to make sure they have had an extra shot of Moderna or Pfizer, before contacting younger Brits to make an appointment.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam described the variant as the “new kid on the block”, warning scientists from around the world have been left concerned.