WATCH: Covid cases top 800 as new vaccine advice issued

Monday 15 November 2021

16 and 17-year-olds will be offered a second dose of the covid vaccine, and islanders aged between 40 and 49 are now eligible for a booster, the Government has said, ahead of covid cases making their biggest jump since mid-July.

Health Minister Richard Renouf said that Jersey would be making the changes to its programme following updated advice from the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which the island follows, this morning.

“We welcome the latest guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) regarding the expansion of the COVID-19 booster programme to 40-49 year olds. This will further strengthen the protection that vaccination provides and where immunity is waning," he said.

WATCH LIVE: COVID-19 data briefing (15 November 2021)

Speakers:

- Prof. Jonathan Van-Tam, Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England ⁰
- Prof. Wei Shen Lim, JCVI
- Dr June Raine, CEO, @MHRAgovuk https://t.co/SI2uhsEVZk

— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 15, 2021

Video: The new JCVI advice being announced at a press conference this morning.

“We also welcome the JCVI recommendation to offer 16 and 17-year-olds a second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, and acknowledge that this has also been supported by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, who have reviewed all the clinical data and concluded the benefits of vaccination remain favourable for this age group."

The confirmation came just hours before the Government reported that there are now 833 confirmed covid cases, after 370 were picked up between Friday and Sunday, 151 of which were primary and secondary school children. 

Statistics update:
There are currently 6 active cases in hospital.
The number of active cases in the Island is 833.
There have been 370 new cases and 273 recoveries since Friday 12 November.

For more COVID-19 figures, visit our website: https://t.co/Maitmwkwf2 pic.twitter.com/1woRdfCx97

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) November 15, 2021

Six people are currently in hospital with the virus.

More than 8,700 people are now direct contacts, a rise of more than 2,300 since Friday.

Long queues of cars were reported at the Harbour testing centre over the weekend.

In a video, a member of testing staff urged islanders to keep to their appointments - and not attempt alternative booking routes in an attempt to get an earlier appointment. They said that this, as well as islanders not turning up at their allocated time, meant that individuals were having to wait around 48 hours to get a test.

"With a steady increase in cases coming through, it is important that islanders respect their booking times. We ask for everyone who has an appointment time allocated to please stick to it," he advised.

To help reduce delays at the testing centre, we have some tips for managing your booking.
▶️ If an appointment needs to be cancelled, you can now email cancelpcrtest@gov.je.
▶️ If you need to rearrange your appointment, call the coronavirus helpline on 0800 735 5566. pic.twitter.com/lVR2qdBs0n

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) November 15, 2021

"It is unhelpful if you turn up early or don't show up at all, as it means slots are being lost for that day for other people who need them.

"...At the moment, some people are waiting about 48 hours for an appointment but this could be improved if others please take up their bookings at the right time."

At present, 2,153 test results are pending and the average result turnaround time is 9.4 hours.

Meanwhile, the latest covid vaccination statistics show that more than 79,000 islanders have had at least one dose of the covid vaccine, while more than 23,500 have had a booster dose.

We've published the latest statistics regarding the number of COVID-19 vaccines delivered as at Wednesday, 10 November 2021.
Statistics are published twice a week. Figures will be updated online, every Monday for the previous Wednesday, and every Thursday for the previous Sunday. pic.twitter.com/HqKHkA0HDU

— Government of Jersey (@GovJersey) November 15, 2021

Take-up among 12 to 15-year-olds is sitting at 27%, and at 52% for 16 to 17-year-olds.

Follow Express for updates...