Yesterday, the Prime Minister held a press conference urging everyone to get boosted now – to protect themselves and others against Omicron.
The Omicron variant is spreading extremely fast in the UK – yesterday we recorded the highest number of cases since the beginning of the pandemic, and the doubling rate in some areas is now down to less than two days. We know that two vaccines are not enough to give sufficient protection against Omicron – getting a booster jab is more important than ever. That is why the Government launched the Omicron emergency boost – a national mission to give every eligible adult the chance to get their booster before the new year, and as of yesterday, every eligible adult can now use the national booking service to book their booster jab – with a record 650,000 boosters delivered on Tuesday alone.
Our message to everyone is get boosted now – to protect yourself, your friends and your family against this new variant.
To view the PM opening statement at COVID-19 press conference: 15 December 2021, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-ramps-up-testing-availability-following-record-week-for-distribution.
UKHSA Ramps Up Testing Availability Following Record Week for Distribution
Yesterday the Government announced that we will work with Royal Mail to double the UK’s testing availability – ensuring the British people have access to COVID-19 tests to keep themselves and their loved ones safe.
Our testing programme is the biggest in Europe, but we know that demand for tests is growing further with the arrival of the Omicron variant. That is why the Government has announced a collaboration between the UKHSA and Royal Mail to expand our testing distribution – by Saturday 18 December, 900,000 PCR or LFDs will be delivered to homes each day, more tests will be available in local pharmacies, and – from today – we will increase booking at PCR testing sites by up to 100,000 slots.
More lateral flow tests will be available across the UK in local community pharmacies to collect. Pharmacies are now able to access 10.5 million lateral flow tests per week, an increase of 5.5 million tests per week.
To ensure a good testing supply over the coming weeks, UKHSA is working to secure hundreds of millions more LFD tests and an increase in PCR laboratory testing capacity of up to 150,000 tests per day.
It is vital we all play our part in the national effort to tackle Omicron by getting tested if we have symptoms and using LFDs daily if we’re a close contact of a case.
For any more information on the UKHSA ramping up testing availability following record week for distribution, including comments from the Health and Social Care Secretary and the UKHSA chief executive, please visit: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ukhsa-ramps-up-testing-availability-following-record-week-for-distribution.
