As GPs stopped delivering Covid booster shots at home, over 300,000.000 people remain housebound.
The Daily Telegraph has seen unpublished Whitehall data that shows only 170,000 people were housebound at the week’s end.
It is approximately 36 percent of the estimated 470,000 total population, but other estimates place it closer to one million.
The Government announced plans to offer family doctors £30 per house visit as an incentive to encourage them to offer boosters to some of those most at risk from the virus as concern grows about the slow booster rollout.
Sajid Javid the Health Minister announced that doctors would no longer be required to perform routine medical checks. This will allow for them to assist with the booster program.
However, it’s understood that most of the people involved in administering first or second vaccine jabs have chosen to avoid home visits for boosters delivery due to a lack of staff and time.
According to data from the Daily Telegraph, more than 300,000 people who are housebound haven’t received their Covid booster jab. This is because GPs decided not to give doses at homes.
Local NHS pharmacies or clinical commissioning groups have been responsible for housebound patients in London, Kent and Cambridgeshire.
Caroline Abrahams, the charity director at Age UK, said: ‘The general clunkiness which has affected the booster rollout seems to have resulted in some housebound older people still waiting for a nurse to provide them with their booster jab.
‘This would have been worrying in any situation, but is all the more so now because of the potential threat from the new omicron variant.’
An NHS spokesman said: ‘Local NHS and GP teams are contacting their eligible housebound patients, and we are working closely with St John’s 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 as possible.’
This week’s guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation stated it was clear that priority should be given to people at highest risk.
This comes as Omicron cases in Britain jumped by over 50% yesterday, while Covid standard cases increased by 16%.
Yesterday’s total number of Omicron variant cases was 86, with 68 being in England, and 18 in Scotland according to the UK Health Security Agency.
In Britain, 43,992 Covid cases have been reported in this week. That’s an increase by 6,311 over last week.
This increase represents a 16.7 percent rise in traffic since Sunday, while 54 additional deaths have been recorded.
From 51 people last week, 5.8% more people have died in the first 28 days after being tested positive for Covid.
In addition to increasing by 5.8%, the number of deaths within 28 days after being tested positive for Covid has also increased from 51 people last week.
The data shows that the number of Covid positive tests for a mutation associated with this highly evolved strain is increasing. Omicron is similar to Alpha and the ‘Kent variety’. It has a unique alteration that allows it to be detected using PCR tests, without the need of genomic sequencing
Ministers are trying to resist calls for tighter regulations in the lead up to Christmas by allowing mask laws to remain in place in public places and shops.
Last week, the emergency regulations reintroduced the mandatory masks for the period December 21 through January 31 to slow the spread and spread of Omicron.
Final decisions on the extension of their use might not be made until December 18, 2018.
Whitehall sources claimed that masks will be mandatory for at most three more weeks, to allow scientists to evaluate the Omicron threat.
Others restrictions like travel checks and mandatory quarantine of ten days for Omicron cases in close proximity are being extended.
Sources say Boris Johnson will not comply with Government Plan B pressures until the new year.
It comes as a leading scientist warned Britain has left it ‘too late’ to halt the spread of the Omicron super-variant.
Professor Mark Woolhouse stated that introducing new travel restrictions was like closing the stable door when the horse bolts.
The Edinburgh University epidemiologist said it was ‘spreading pretty rapidly’ and could become the world’s dominant strain.
All travellers who arrive in England on Saturday will need to pass a Covid-19 predeparture exam.
Ministers stated that the temporary test was meant to follow new data that showed an increase in cases of foreign-travel-related strains.
For those who wish to visit family during the holiday season, Nigeria has been added to the government’s travel redlist.