PRIME Minister Boris Johnson has tonight (Sunday) made a special broadcast on BBC1 announcing a speed-up of the booster vaccination programme in light of the rise in the UK of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Taking a top slot just after the semi-final results of the Strictly Come Dancing show, he said that with cases of the new variant doubling every two-three days the country’s chief medical officers had raised the status of the COVID alert level to 4 - the second highest level.

He said to build up ’our wall of vaccination protection’ he was therefore broadening the booster vaccination programme to ensure that anyone over the age of 18 who had their second jab three or more months ago would be able to receive a booster by the end of this month.

He said "no-one should be in any doubt there is a tidal wave of Omicron coming, and I’m afraid it’s now clear that two doses of vaccine are simply not enough to give the level of protection we all need".

He added: "But the good news is that scientists are confident that with a third vaccination we can all bring our level of protection back up.

"Do not make the mistake of thinking Omicron can’t make you and your loved ones seriously ill."

He said no-one could say at the moment whether Omicron’s symptoms were more severe than other variants, but the fact that it was so much more transmissable threatened to overwhelm the NHS if people did not take up the opportunity to have booster jabs.

He said the Government was therefore launching the national Omicron booster mission, unlike anything done so far in the vaccination programme, so that anyone over the age of 18 could receive a booster by the New Year. He was also offering additional support to the devolved administrations of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland so they could follow suit.

He said: "To hit the pace we need, we’ll need to match the NHS’s best vaccination day so far, and then beat that day after day. This will require an extraordinary effort" - meaning that some other appointments will have to be postponed until the new year. But if this wasn’t done, then the wave of Omicron could be so big that the risk of disruption to NHS treatments could be even greater down the line.

Thanking GPs, nurses and other healthcare workers for all that they have done so far, he said he was having to ask all those "on the front line" to make another extraordinary effort now.

From tomorrow (Monday, December 13) the boosters would be opened up to every adult over 18 who has had a second dose of the vaccine at least three months ago. The NHS booking system will be open to these younger patients from Wednesday - but in some places there will be walk-in booster clinics open from Monday.

He said he was also deploying 42 military planning teams across each health region, standing up additional vaccine sites and mobile units, extending opening hours so clinics are open seven days a week with more appointments early in the morning, in the evening and at weekends, and training thousands more volunteer vaccinators.

He will be setting out further steps in the days ahead, and Plan B measures meant you must wear face coverings in indoor spaces and from tomorrow (Monday) work from home if you can. And from Wednesday, subject to a vote in Parliament, you will need to show a negative lateral flow test to get into nightclubs and some large events if you’re not double vaccinated.

He added: "If you’ve not yet had a vaccine at all, the please get yourself at least a measure of protection with a jab as quickly as possible. If you have already had a booster, then encourage your friends and family to do the same."

He said we are a great country, and have the vaccines for people to get vaccinated now, "so let’s do it" and get jabbed to protect ourselves, friends and family and jobs and livelihoods.