he NHS is mounting a fresh drive to get Covid booster jabs into arms to protect against the fast-spreading Omicron variant.
The national vaccination programme is sending around 650,000 text messages and 50,000 letters to people who have not yet received their top-up dose, encouraging them to roll up their sleeve and have a “jabby new year”.
No data was available for Northern Ireland.
The Westminster Government has said while the early evidence suggests Omicron is less likely to cause serious illness than earlier waves it stands ready to impose new measures in England if necessary.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who will update the recalled Scottish Parliament on Wednesday, has called on people in Scotland to follow the new rules, including restrictions on households mixing, as she warned cases would continue to rise.
According to the latest figures, there are 9,546 people in hospital in England with the disease – up 38 per cent from a week earlier and the highest total since the beginning of March, although still well below the peak of more than 34,000 in January.
