HEALTH chiefs in Cheshire have urged people to be persistent when booking appointments for booster jabs after the government offered the vaccine to all over-18s to combat the threat of the Omicron variant.

With the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation also recommending a reduction in the gap between second jabs and boosters from six to three months the numbers of people seeking booster vaccinations is set to soar.

Latest figures record that 604,756 people have received first and second doses of vaccine in Cheshire East and while there are no current figures on booster numbers Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) says "hundreds of thousands" of booster vaccinations have been administered across Cheshire.

But the pressure on appointments has in some cases meant people have had to wait for slots to become available.

In the Crewe area booster jabs are being dispensed at Eagle Bridge Health Centre and Leighton Hospital.

A spokesperson for Cheshire CCG said: "If you are unable to book a suitable slot first time, please keep trying.

"Hundreds of thousands of booster vaccinations have already been administered at GP and pharmacy-led vaccination services across Cheshire, with Covid-19 vaccination appointments available at a wide range of venues across the county."

The CCG says that the quickest and easiest way to arrange a vaccination is online via the National Booking Service or by calling 119.

Alternatively, people should respond to an invitation from local NHS services or attend a walk-in vaccination clinic.

Meanwhile, Cheshire East Council leaders are urging residents to abide by the new rules on mask wearing in shops and supermarkets.

The government made face masks compulsory in shops as well as on public transport from today (Tuesday), a ruling that will be in place initially for three weeks.

The leader of Cheshire East Council, Cllr Sam Corcoran, said: "Although only a small number of positive cases of Omicron have so far been reported, we are taking the threat of this new variant very seriously.

"With Christmas little more than three weeks away, I am asking all of our residents to do the right thing and to please follow the latest Covid safety guidance.

"Wearing a face covering in high risk crowded or indoor places, is not a big sacrifice to make and if we all follow the guidance we will break the train of transmission and slow the spread of this new variant."

Deputy leader of the council, Cllr Craig Browne, said: "What we are seeing and hearing about this new variant is extremely worrying.

"It's in our hands to look after each other by continuing to stay safe and that means wearing a face covering every time you enter a shop or travel on a bus or train."

Cheshire East's director of public health, Dr Matt Tyrer, says people should arrange their booster jabs, and first and second doses too, if they have not had them yet.

He added: "It's also critical that anyone with Covid-19 symptoms, however slight, self-isolates and gets a PCR test immediately."

Other measures being brought in by the government include:

• Pupils in Year 7 and above "strongly advised" to wear face coverings in communal areas.
• All contacts of suspected Omicron cases required to self-isolate for 10 days
• Those entering the UK require a PCR test within 48 hours of arrival
• People with immunocompromised conditions to be offered a fourth jab
• Children aged 12 to 15 to get a second dose.

On Tuesday (November 30) 218 people tested positive for coronavirus in Cheshire East borough with the 1,534 figure for the last week being a drop of five per cent on the previous seven days. The latest Cheshire East rolling rate is 388.7 per 100,000 people.