Following the government announcement this week that everyone is to be offered a COVID-19 booster jab by the end of the year numerous opportunities to receive the vaccine are being released each day in Essex.
Everyone eligible over the age of 30 can book their COVID-19 booster from 13 December 2021 and those over the age of 18 will be able to book from Wednesday, 15 December 2021.
Where can I get my Covid-19 booster vaccination?
- Pre-bookable appointments are available at large vaccination centres and sites such as a community pharmacies. This is the best way of avoiding lengthy queues.
- There are also a number of walk-in clinics offering vaccinations, although you may have to wait to get a jab at these sites.
- Essex County Council has worked with the NHS and a new vaccination centre will be opening at County Hall in Chelmsford on Tuesday 21st December 2021.
- On 18th and 19th December 2021, Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) is hosting a Big Vaccination Weekend at Chelmsford City Racecourse. This is a pop-up clinic so appointments must be booked via a separate link here.
Teams across Essex have been working to ensure that thousands more appointments are added to the national booking system at existing sites across the area. For more details of opportunities available in mid and south Essex are available at https://www.essexcovidvaccine.nhs.uk/ If you live in North East Essex, more details of local opportunities are available here: https://sneevaccine.org.uk/. If you live in West Essex more local information can be found here: https://covid.healthierfuture.org.uk/events/vaccination-walk-in-clinic-times.
A booster is not a top up – it is a huge increase in your ability to fight the virus. The level of immunoglobulin, the substance that provides immunity by attacking the virus, increases up to 40-fold following a booster. Early data shows a third booster dose prevents about 75% of people from getting any Covid symptoms from Omicron. If you want to understand more about the vaccine and its effectiveness at combatting the Omicron variant, you can watch Mike Gogarty, Director of Public Health in Essex, explain more. An EasyRead letter explaining the process is available.