British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce his COVID-19 Winter Plan for England on Tuesday, including contingency measures that would be implemented if the NHS was at risk of becoming overwhelmed. The PM will outline plans for booster jabs after the UK's vaccine advisory body unveils its guidance on Monday. Johnson's COVID plan is set to follow an announcement by the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunization (JCVI) on who should receive booster jabs. The JCVI has already said a third vaccine dose should be offered to people with severely weakened immune systems, which accounts for up to half a million people in the UK. But it has not decided if booster doses would be needed to extend protection in larger numbers of people at high risk from COVID-19, including those normally eligible for a flu jab. A government source stressed the COVID Winter Plan would emphasize how society planned to continue "living with" the virus throughout the winter and promote COVID and flu jabs. The Times reports that mandatory face coverings and working from home will be brought back in if there is a winter surge in infections. There is growing concern among ministers that the NHS could come under severe strain if COVID infections surged alongside a bad flu season, the paper says. Sources have told the Times the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) has devised a series of options to limit the spread of COVID-19 without the use of lockdowns. The UK reported a further 29,547 new infections on Saturday, alongside another 156 deaths within 28 days of a positive COVID test. Meanwhile, 89% of the population over the age of 16 have received a first dose of a coronavirus. — Agencies
