Public urged to get booster jab before new year

Patricia Donnelly, head of the Northern Ireland vaccination programme, urged people not to wait to get the booster jab.

A Covid-19 vaccination centre at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

Health officials in Northern Ireland are appealing to people to get a booster jab before the end of the year.

Patricia Donnelly, head of the Northern Ireland vaccination programme, urged people not to wait to get the booster jab amid ongoing concerns about the impact of the Omicron variant.

Ms Donnelly said: “Our great vaccination teams will be hard at work once again this week, providing boosters to as many people as possible.

“There are so many opportunities across Northern Ireland for people to get their booster dose before the start of the new year.

“I know some people had been putting it off until after Christmas and I would appeal to them to delay no further.

Patricia Donnelly, head of the Northern Ireland vaccination programme (Liam McBurney/PA) (PA Wire)

“We are facing a very serious threat from Covid-19 and getting boosted is the single most important thing you can do to protect yourself.”

Ms Donnelly said that it was still possible for people to get a first dose of the vaccine.

“People aged 18 and over are also still coming forward for their first jabs. To those not yet vaccinated, my same plea applies – please don’t delay any further.”

On Monday, new measures to tackle Covid-19 came into effect in Northern Ireland.

A maximum of six people can now be seated together in a bar or restaurant, with table service only permitted. Customers will only be allowed to move between toilets or to the till.

Under the new measures, people are also being asked to limit their social contacts, with the public being advised that only three households should mix together in a private home.

Employers and employees are also being asked to work from home where possible, with two-metre social distancing a requirement in any office setting.

Nightclubs in Northern Ireland had already been ordered to close from Boxing Day, with indoor standing events no longer permitted.