At least 300,000 housebound people ‘still haven’t had Covid booster jab’

With cases high and Omicron spreading, the government is in a race against time to boost immunity this winter (Picture: Metro)

The booster jab programme has failed to reach hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable people, according to leaked papers.

Private Whitehall analysis has reportedly discovered just 170,000 out of an estimated 470,000 people confined to their homes through ill health have had a third shot.

There are concerns fewer health staff have signed up to assist with the rollout amid pressure elsewhere in the system.

Age UK has criticised the ‘general clunkiness’ of the booster programme and said it would have been ‘worrying in any situation’ but needs to be addressed immediately because of Omicron.

The findings, which were uncovered by The Telegraph, found the rate at which vulnerable people are being reached in their homes is well below the 60% rate of over 50s generally.

It’s unclear how many people are unable to attend GP surgeries, where the bulk of top-up jabs are being administered, with some estimating it is much higher than the 470,000 figure.

Sajid Javid said it caused him ‘worry’ when presented with a report by the BBC last week that an 83-year-old had been waiting for more than a month for a home visit.

Booster jabs are being touted as a way of making it through a potentially difficult winter without the need for lockdowns (Picture: AFP)

Charles King, 91, from Guildford in Surrey told the paper he was informed by the NHS two months ago he qualified for a jab as he was vulnerable but had still not had one.

The RAF veteran called the situation ‘a total disgrace’.

Last week the government announced a new £30 incentive for health workers who carry out visits to deliver vaccines.

With the NHS trying to overcome an unprecedented backlog created by lockdowns, there are fewer hands on deck to get the booster rolled out.

The government is banking on the increased immunity conferred by a third shot to keep hospitalisations and deaths low through the winter.

There are concerns about the number of trained staff on hand to administer the jab to people who can’t leave their homes (Picture: AFP)

Officials are also nervously awaiting evidence generated by real-world studies and from experts at the Ministry of Defence’s Porton Down facility to see how well the vaccines already in use hold up against the Omicron variant.

An NHS spokesperson said: ‘Local NHS and GP teams are contacting their eligible housebound patients, and we are working closely with St John Ambulance to give local areas additional support.

‘We are also providing additional funding to help local teams secure additional staff so that all eligible housebound patients are offered a booster as quickly and safely as possible.’

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