Older people are being urged to get a booster jab as Covid cases hit record highs

OLDER Britons have been urged to get a booster as Covid cases are expected to reach a record high.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, who is stepping down as deputy chief medical officer, said the risk of deaths increases if the second boosters last too long, “it keeps me awake at night”.

Older Britons have been urged to get a booster as Covid cases are set to hit a record high

Britain's Covid cases and deaths today, and over the course of the pandemic

The Zoe Covid app estimates there are now a record 350,000 new cases per day.

Professor Tim Spector, who leads the research, said: “Covid cases continue to rise to record highs, but the rate of increase is showing signs of slowing.

“This is a promising sign that we will hopefully see the number of cases start to decline again.”

It comes as free public testing is finally being scrapped in England today, with people now simply being advised to self-isolate if they feel ill.

Government advisers continued to strike a cautious tone with Prof Chris Whitty warning that there is high pressure on the NHS.

Dr. Jenny Harries, head of Britain's Health Security Agency, said Britons must “come to terms” with the fact that Covid will spread for years.

She said: “In my own case, I will always wear a face covering when I walk into a shop or when I am on a train, in those areas where we can help prevent infection, even if we are not aware that we can doing. have it.”

Hospital admissions are rising, but many are admitted for other conditions and just happen to have Covid.

But the second round of boosters for the over-75s and vulnerable people will be crucial to keeping deaths down, experts say.

Professor Van-Tam said: “The number of cases here in Britain is really, really high.

“What keeps me up at night is wondering whether the people we called over 75 for the second booster dose will come forward very quickly in the coming days and weeks – because it will be important.”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said scrapping large-scale testing and reserving it for high-risk cases is the right move now.

He said: “We are now one of the most open and free countries in the world and it is also right, as we learn to live with Covid, that we withdraw free testing when it is no longer necessary.”