Volunteers needed to help with Covid-19 vaccine booster roll out in West Midlands

Elizabeth Brayford said volunteers did a "marvellous" job

Volunteers are being asked to help with the Covid-19 booster roll out programme in the West Midlands.

Many vaccinations centres are reporting a shortage of volunteers with Coventry, Dudley and Walsall currently each needing 100 extra people.

About 7,000 shifts need filling a week, the Royal Voluntary Service said.

After warnings that Covid cases are rising, everyone in England aged 50 or over are now able to book their Covid booster and flu jab.

The volunteers are needed to support NHS staff with non-clinical tasks.

"We're trying to fill about 7,000 shifts a week across England and at the moment there's 30,000 shift requirements in the system just taking us to Christmas and that's increasing every day," Sam Ward, deputy chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, said.

Sam Ward, deputy chief executive of the Royal Voluntary Service, said thousands of shifts needed filling

"So people are busy. It's a really flexible role, it's a sociable role and people can just give whatever time they have got."

Elizabeth Brayford who received her booster at Tunstall vaccination centre in Staffordshire on Saturday said she appreciated the volunteers helping out.

"It's a marvellous job. You're helping people really aren't you? Get this done and people need it, because it's about again isn't it?"

Suzanne Richardson, deputy operational lead at the centre said getting booster jabs were vital to stem the spread of the virus.

"It is still as important as ever," she said.

"The virus changes all the time. We've gone through phases where it's more transferable, it's made people perhaps more ill, so we do encourage everyone to come and get a vaccine with us."