Covid: Get your booster jab, says Boris Johnson, as cases rise

People should come forward for a Covid booster jab when their time comes, Boris Johnson has said.

The prime minister urged those who become eligible for a third dose of vaccine to organise an appointment straight away.

He said the government was "continuing with its plan" and that things were much better now than a year ago - thanks to the rollout of the vaccine.

Doctors have urged ministers to trigger England's "Plan B", amid rising cases.

Plan B would reimpose rules such as mandatory face masks and working from home advice - measures the British Medical Association (BMA) said are needed now.

Speaking in Northern Ireland, Mr Johnson said that the numbers of infections and deaths being seen were "within the parameters of what the predictions were" "given the steps we've taken".

It was also because the country was in an "incomparably better position than last year because of vaccines" that there was more confidence around the current plan in place," he said.

He also insisted that the "most important thing people can do is get that booster jab" and that "when you get the call, get the jab".

The PM appealed for those aged 12-to-15-years-old to get their first vaccination because there was "no shortage of supply" and there were "huge quantities" of vaccine available.

An estimated 4.7 million booster doses - which come at least six months after second jabs - have now been delivered in the UK.

Under the government's plan for tackling Covid in England over the winter, the strategy currently in operation is Plan A.

It involves offering booster jabs to about 30 million people and offering a single vaccine dose to healthy 12 to 15-year-olds, as well as encouraging ventilation for indoor gatherings, hand-washing and face masks in crowded places.

Daily UK infections have been above 40,000 for eight days in a row.

Over the last seven days, the number of Covid patients admitted to hospital has risen by 11% and the number of deaths has increased by 21%, compared with the previous week, although the number remains far below the peak in January.

Case rates are rising in all but one region of England, the UK Health Security Agency said, with the lowest rates in London.

Rates of Covid were highest in those aged 10-to-19-years-old, with the lowest seen in those over 80.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA's chairman, said doctors can "categorically" say that the "time is now" for starting Plan B.

He stressed that case numbers were comparable to March, when England was in lockdown, and were "unheard of in similar European nations".

"It is therefore incredibly concerning that [Mr Javid] is not willing to take immediate action to save lives and to protect the NHS," he said.

But Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday that "at this point" the government would not introduce its Plan B measures.

However, he also warned insufficient vaccine uptake would make restrictions in England more likely.

Across the UK, booster jabs are being offered to:

The dose must be given at least six months after a second vaccination, and will typically be either Pfizer or Moderna.

Health Minister Edward Argar said Tory MPs should make their own minds up as to whether to wear a face covering while in the crowded Commons, after Mr Javid urged people in England to cover their faces in crowded places.

Behavioural expert, Prof Robert West, who advises the government, told BBC Radio 4's World at One programme politicians should lead the public when it comes to mask wearing.

He said it gave those who are undecided "a kind of excuse if you like to say, 'If they're not doing it why should I do it?'"

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson's official spokesman said reports that a harsher so-called Plan C for England was in the works were "not accurate". "Neither ministers nor officials are working on those proposals," he added.