People urged to 'grab a jab' this weekend with one million in region still not vaccinated
Health chiefs have urged people to get their Covid-19 vaccine figures show more than one million people across the West Midlands haven't had their jab.
NHS data showed around 1.3 million people are yet to be vaccinated which has prompted calls from officials for residents to "grab a jab" this weekend.
It comes as cases of the Delta variant continue to rise across the region – with evidence showing the vaccine helps to reduce the severity of the virus.
Alison Tonge, the NHS England and NHS Improvement director responsible for overseeing the vaccination programme across the Midlands, said: "With more than 6.9 million jabs already delivered by the NHS in the Midlands, we’re now in a race to the finish line.
"As cases of the Delta variant increase, it is important that everyone gets the protection that two doses of the vaccine will give them. We know that the Covid-19 vaccine is lifesaving and gives us crucial protection against the virus, so I would urge anyone who has yet to receive their jab to get it done as soon as possible. The more of us who are vaccinated the safer and freer we all will be."
Efforts are ongoing by officials to ensure people who haven't had the jab are vaccinated as soon as possible by mid-July, with pop-up vaccination sites being launched, Covid Community Champions visiting pubs and restaurants to boost uptakes, and a weekend of walk-ins across the region.
All adults can book at one of the 1,700 vaccination centres, pharmacy or general practice sites across the country that are available through the national booking service.
Text invitations appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’ and include a web link to the NHS website to reserve an appointment. People who cannot go online can call the service on 119 instead to book their jab.
People can also book an appointment at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination
