WALK-IN coronavirus booster jabs are available in Hereford today (Tuesday).

Herefordshire Council said a "limited number" of walk-ins are available, less than 48 hours after Boris Johnson announced a big push to offer everyone in England a booster jab by the end of December.

The walk-in slots are available at Elgar House in Holmer Road, but there are a couple of criteria to be eligible.

The council said booster jabs would be available to anyone over 30 who had their second dose more than three months ago.

First and second vaccinations will also be available for anyone aged 16 or over.

Anyone attending the vaccination centre must take their NHS number with them.

The last jab will be at 5pm, and anyone still queing after then would be turned away, the centre said.

But it added that more appointments were being added to the national booking system as and when it can.

Appointments can be booked here: nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/ 

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Bromyard Pharmacy, running clinics at the public hall, is also offering walk-ins on most days until the end of the year.

The pharmacy said over-18s will be able to walk in on December 14, 18, 19, 21, 23, 27, 28 and 30 between 9.30am and 12.45pm and again from 2pm until 5pm.

But the NHS website says the nearest site for walk-ins is actually Worcester Racecourse, with large queues forming on Monday.

In a pre-recorded address to the nation on Sunday evening, said Britain “must urgently reinforce our wall of vaccine protection” as he set a new deadline of jabbing everyone over 18 by the new year.

The announcement comes as the UK Covid alert level was raised to Level 4, up from Level 3, following a rapid increase in the number of Omicron cases being recorded.

In response, booster vaccines will now be offered to everyone over the age of 18 in England from this week, with the target of giving all those eligible a jab by the end of December.

It comes as the NHS is told it can run 24/7 vaccine clinics and discharge some patients to hotels under plans set out by health leaders.

The health service has been put on its highest level of emergency preparedness as it sets itself to tackle the “new and significant” threat posed by the Omicron variant.

The health service in England declared a “Level 4 National Incident”, which means that trusts will not have autonomy to guide the response in their local areas and central NHS will lead the charge.

Health leaders said that the emergence of the variant requires an “extraordinary response” from the NHS.

A new letter from health bosses states that the NHS will deliver “more vaccines over the coming weeks than ever before” which might include 24/7 vaccine clinics “where relevant for the local community”.

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Vaccine sites should operate 12 hours a day “as standard” seven days a week, while some GP appointments will need to be postponed as the NHS prioritises the vaccination programme.

NHS England said pop-up sites could include trucks and buses in parks, cathedrals, football stadiums and leisure centres.

Temporary buildings including portacabins and tents are “ready to be dispatched to extend existing sites and support with queues”, it added.

But the letter warns: “Even with the additional protection that vaccine boosters will give, the threat from Omicron remains serious.”

It adds that the number of people requiring care could be “significant over the coming period” as it set out steps for the NHS to prepare for a fresh wave of cases.

This includes discharging medically fit patients to hotels and ramping up the use of private hospitals.

Pressures in the social care system mean that many patients can usually be left in hospital while social care packages are arranged.

But the NHS has ordered hospitals to free up as many beds as possible, which could include discharging fit patients to hotels to wait for social care support to be put in place.

Health leaders have also been ordered to make “full use of non-acute beds in the local health and care system” including the use of beds in hospices and private hospitals.

They have also been told to expand the use of “virtual wards”.

Hospital bosses have been asked to “surge test”, including testing oxygen supplies, and “learn the lessons from previous waves of Covid-19, and making preparations to have the capacity in place to meet a potentially similar challenge this winter”.

Trusts have been ordered to maintain mental health, learning disability and autism services.