The UK government on Friday announced that all eligible adults in England have been offered the booster jab for COVID-19.

On November 30, the UK government had set out its ambition to offer all eligible adults the chance to get their booster shot by the end of January. In response to the emerging threat of the Omicron variant, the target was pushed forward through the national ‘Get Boosted Now’ campaign, to offer the shot by the end of December.

In his New Year’s message, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “It’s precisely because of that huge national effort that we can celebrate tonight at all,” Bloomberg reported.

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He urged people to come forward and get their shot, pointing that about 90% of people hospitalized with Covid-19 haven’t had vaccine boosters. 

“I want to speak directly to all those who have yet to get fully vaccinated,” he said. “The people who think the disease can’t hurt them — look at the people going into hospital now, that could be you.”

In a press release, the UK government shared that more than 28.1 million people in England – more than 7 in 10 of eligible adults – have now had their booster following the rapid expansion of the vaccination programme over the last month. This includes around 90% of those aged 50 and over who are eligible.

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said, “I am delighted to confirm we have hit our target of offering a COVID-19 booster to all adults by the New Year.”

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The press release also stated that the UK’s booster programme is one of the fastest in the world, as the second country in Europe – after Iceland – and third in the world for the number of boosters per 100 people in the total population. 

While two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection against the Delta variant, data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows two doses are not enough to protect people from Omicron – but a third dose provides around 70% protection against symptomatic infection from Omicron two to four weeks after the booster is given, the government said. 

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Refusing to impose tight restrictions like last year, the UK government’s focus has been on vaccinating the population. While the country has achieved its targets partially, the strategy has faced hindrances in the form of a shortage of testing kits and a surge in COVID-19 cases. 

A total of 11,452 people were in the hospital in England with Covid-19 as of Thursday, according to the latest NHS England figures, significantly lower than the peak of more than 34,000 in January. However, daily admissions are also rising with 2,082 on Dec. 28, Bloomberg reported.