Hackney MP Meg Hillier has just had her booster jab and is urging others to do the same, when they are eligible.

The Hackney South and Shoreditch MP got her booster at Raj and Spring Pharmacy in Hoxton.

Ms Hillier said: "Thanks to Raj and Spring Pharmacy for my administering my booster jab.

"The new Omicron variant means it is vital we do everything we can to stay protected. Please book your booster jab as soon as you can."

Ham & High: MP Hillier got her booster at Raj and Spring Pharmacy in HoxtonMP Hillier got her booster at Raj and Spring Pharmacy in Hoxton (Image: Gary Manhine)

Those aged 40 and over are already eligible for a booster vaccine.

The The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) said booster doses should be given no sooner than three months after people have had their second dose of an original vaccine – shaving three months off the current six-month wait.

In further advice, young people aged 12 to 15 should be offered a second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine, no sooner than 12 weeks after their first dose.

Ham & High: Labour and Hackney MP Meg HillierLabour and Hackney MP Meg Hillier (Image: Gary Manhine)

Ms Hillier added: "Pharmacies are a vital frontline health service in Hackney and some offer walk-in vaccination services. Many pharmacists act as the first point of contact for constituents seeking the advice of a trusted health professional.

"It's vital this excellent resource is used as much as possible now that the government is stepping up the booster jab rollout."

Ham & High: Ms Hillier praised pharmacies for the vital work they are doing to roll out Covid vaccines and boostersMs Hillier praised pharmacies for the vital work they are doing to roll out Covid vaccines and boosters (Image: Gary Manhine)

Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said the coronavirus vaccination programme “is all about speed” and that the UK had to "act immediately and not wait" after the discovery of the Omicron variant.

He told BBC Breakfast this morning (November 30): “I do think we need to take this seriously.

“It is a possibility that this will not turn out to be a major problem but there are lots of signs that suggest that it might.

He continued: “It looks like it’s quite a transmissible virus. We don’t really yet know whether it causes worse disease. It may well not do that.

“But the main question is whether it’s able to evade the immunity that we’ve got to some extent from the vaccine so far and the infections we’ve all had."