NHS Somerset urges those eligible to get Covid jab

Half of eligible Somerset residents have received the Covid-19 vaccine this winter

NHS Somerset says 100,000 people in the county - or 50% of those eligible - are still to come forward for their Covid-19 winter vaccinations.

With only a month left to get a vaccination, the NHS is urging those eligible to book an appointment at a clinic, GP surgery, pharmacy or visit one of the walk-in clinics.

The autumn/winter vaccination programme has so far seen 50% of eligible residents in Somerset get a Covid-19 vaccination.

Shona Turnbull-Kirk, senior reporting officer for vaccinations at NHS Somerset, said: "We know that immunity fades over time and these viruses change each year."

NHS Somerset says the winter vaccination programme plays a vital role in reducing the spread of serious illnesses, with Covid-19 being offered alongside flu this year.

Ms Turnbull-Kirk added: "If you are vaccinated and catch flu or Covid-19 this winter, you are likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, cutting your risk of being hospitalised."

NHS Somerset says the winter vaccination programme ends in a month

Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer in communicable diseases at the University of Exeter, is urging people to get the vaccination.

He says it is "concerning" that 100,000 people still have not come forward.

"We still get people admitted to hospital with severe reactions to a Covid-19 infection and we still get people dying," he added.

Dr Pankhania said: "As a result of the vaccine we are now back to normal, we're not in lockdown.

"Like all vaccines, a small percentage of people will end up with side effects but, by and large, for the majority of the population the vaccine saves your life," he added.

Those eligible include all adults aged 65 and over, residents in a care home for older adults, frontline health and social care workers and people in a clinical risk group.

Those eligible can book a vaccine either online, via the NHS app or by calling 119.