In total 5.5 million people will be invited for a new booster in the coming months ( Image: PA) More than 600,000 will be invited for a booster jab next week as Covid-19 infections levels climb to record highs in England. Around 5.5 million people in England aged over 75 or immunosuppressed will become eligible in the coming months. Cases have risen for a third week in a row with one in 16 estimated to have had Covid in the week to March 19, according to Office for National Statistics data. That’s 3.5 million people, up from 2.7m (one in 20) the previous week, a rise of almost a third. Spring boosters were rolled out last week and so far more than 470,000 people have come forward. Will you get your booster? Have your say in the comment section Advisors are urging people to wear face masks again ( Image: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) The NHS wants people to wait until they are invited before trying to book, with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation saying a six-month gap after the initial booster is best for maximum effectiveness. A more transmissible variant of Omicron, known as Omicron BA.2, is behind a surge in infections, with the percentage of people testing positive up across all age groups and regions of England. Infection levels in over-70s are at their highest since the pandemic began, with around one in 20 likely to have the virus, up week-on-week from one in 30. But Covid-19 remains most prevalent among young children, with around one in 12 of those aged between two and school year 6 estimated to have had coronavirus last week, up from one in 16. Free tests are to be scrapped from April 1 ( Image: AFP via Getty Images) The number of people in hospital with the virus continues to increase, although at a slower rate. Dr Nikki Kanani, deputy lead for the NHS Vaccination Programme, said: “Over the course of the pandemic vaccinations have been key to helping society get back to normal and allowing us to enjoy time with friends, family and loved ones – and they continue to play a crucial role in protecting us all against Covid, so please do book in when invited.” Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “I’m so grateful to our brilliant NHS staff and volunteers who have sprung into action yet again to rollout Spring boosters to keep the most vulnerable safe. “Vaccines remain our best line of defence against this virus, and it’s thanks to these protections that we are all able to do the things we love. “With hundreds of thousands more invites being sent to eligible people this week, it’s vital to come forward as soon as you can.” Free tests are set to be ditched on April 1 but the climbing case numbers have led many advisors to urge the government to reconsider and to urge people to wear masks again. Earlier this week, SAGE member Professor Matt Keeling said: “With the withdrawal of free testing from April 1, this ability of the public to assess and respond to the risk of infection has been removed. “Lateral flow tests are relatively inexpensive, and could even be cost saving if they help prevent sufficiently many hospital admissions.” Meanwhile, chief medical adviser at the UK Health Security Agency Dr Susan Hopkins asked Britons to wear masks in enclosed spaces and socialise outdoors. Yesterday, daily cases fell week-on-week to 77,509 but the number of people in hospital climbed to 17,440 while 172 people died. Read More Out of touch millionaire Rishi Sunak’s PR debacle forces Tories into red-faced admission Read More Scientists warn charging for Covid tests is playing ‘Russian roulette’ with lives
