Covid booster jabs rollout to hit NHS waiting lists

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The Health Secretary said hospitals may postpone non-urgent procedures, including hip and knee replacements, until the New Year to increase jab capacity. It comes as the NHS returned to its highest level of emergency preparedness ‑ a Level 4 National Incident.

It means the Omicron response will be co-ordinated nationally rather than by individual trusts.

Delaying some procedures will allow staff to be redeployed to help the vaccination effort. 

But it will worsen the NHS treatment waiting list which was a record 5.98 million people at the end of October. Of them, more than 300,000 had waited over a year.

Mr Javid told MPs: “These are steps that no health secretary would wish to take unless they were absolutely necessary.

“But I am convinced that if we don’t prioritise the booster now, the health consequences will be far more grave in the months that lie ahead.”

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