Karen Bradley: In this week's column on Nub News, the Moorlands MP has urged people to ensure they are fully vaccinated and highlighted the effects of Omicron on those without jabs.

Last week I joined other local MPs on our regular call with the vaccine delivery team for Staffordshire. The team have worked flat out over the last few weeks to deliver booster shots and it is great to know that in the Moorlands we have one of the highest uptakes in the county. Making sure that you have had all the doses of the vaccine for which you are eligible is the best way to ensure that you and your family are protected. The Omicron variant is spreading quickly, and the advice is that as two vaccines are not enough to give sufficient protection against it – getting a booster jab is more important than ever. The message from the professionals to everyone is Get Boosted Now – to improve the protection provided by the first two doses of the vaccine and minimise the risk of become seriously ill this winter. The statistics are stark – as many as 90 per cent of those in intensive care have not had their booster, and over 60 per cent of those in intensive care have not had any vaccination at all. The data is clear, vaccinations are our best defence against Covid. You can book your vaccination either through the national booking system on the NHS website or you can use the local Staffordshire site on the county council website. And of course, you can contact your GP if you need further information or assurance. By pushing the booster programme over the Christmas and New Year holidays, ministers have not needed to tighten Covid restrictions any further. The data shows that whilst the infection rate is very high – and will get higher over the next few weeks in our area – vaccines are preventing a much higher percentage of people from needing hospital treatment than would have been the case. I fully support this approach.

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