Live

Watch again: PM addresses nation on booster jab rollout amid Omicron fears

30 November 2021, 15:41 | Updated: 7 June 2023, 08:56

Boris Johnson hosts Downing Street press conference | Watch Live

By Sophie Barnett

Boris Johnson has held a press conference on the expansion of the booster vaccine programme amid growing fears over the Omicron variant.

Watch it again above.

The Prime Minister spoke live from Downing Street this evening, as mandatory face masks were reinforced in shops and on public transport.

The Government confirmed that the booster jabs will be rolled out to all adults in order to curb the spread of the new variant - which was first detected in South Africa.

This means anyone over the age of 18 will be invited to have their booster jab, with Mr Johnson announcing that the aim was to offer every adult a booster by the end of January.

He also said that jabs will be given out in age groups, going down in five year bands, to prioritise older people and those more vulnerable.

Read more: Omicron rules explained: Where to wear face masks and who has to self-isolate

Read more: Covid-19 booster jabs: Who is eligible and how can you book?

Teenagers aged between 12 and 15 will also be offered a second jab and severely immunosuppressed people will be given access to another booster - meaning for some, a fourth dose.

It comes as eight more cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant were identified in the UK, taking the total number to 22 - with nine detected in Scotland and 13 in England.

The nine cases in Scotland were all linked to a single private event, Nicola Sturgeon has since confirmed.

You can watch the press conference again at the top of this article.