YORK'S autumn booster jabs programme will begin this week after supplies of a new variant-busting Covid vaccine arrived at the city's mass vaccination centre.

The Moderna ‘bivalent vaccine,’ which will help boost people’s immunity against Omicron variants, will be used initially to vaccinate care home residents and staff, as well as health and care staff.

But the NHS Covid National Booking System is also set to open on Wednesday, enabling eligible people to start booking their booster appointments at the Askham Bar jabs centre.

About seven million people, including anyone who is aged 75 and over, or immunosuppressed, will be able to book in online or by calling 119.

A total of 26 million people across England will be eligible for the booster over coming weeks, including over 50s, those with a weakened immune system, health and social care workers and care home residents and housebound people.

Organisers of York's jabs site at Askham Bar hope to be able to begin offering flu jabs as well as Covid from September 19, says Professor Mike Holmes, of York primary care provider Nimbuscare.

Writing in his weekly column for The Press, he says that, ideally, he would like to offer both flu and covid vaccines during the same visit, but this might not always be possible due to availability.

"We will try our best to offer both jabs as we know people would prefer just one visit to the site," he says, adding that the centre will be open from  8.30am to 7.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and from 8.30am to 2pm on Sundays.

Prof Holmes says the Covid vaccination team has now been working every working day since December 2020.

"That’s nearly 90 weeks, many of which have been 12 or 14 hour days, seven days a week, often opening until 10.30pm to make sure no vaccine is wasted," he says.

"We’ve worked in some of the harshest conditions – snow, rain, storms and more recently during the hottest temperatures we’ve seen for some time.

"Our vaccination team has been nationally recognised and this includes our superb team of volunteers, without whom our programme wouldn’t have functioned. Nimbuscare is incredibly proud of our teams and their commitment."

Meanwhile, Prof Holmes reveals another new service is being launched at Acomb Garth Community Care Centre - an ultrasound scanning service, available Monday to Friday for NHS patients.

"This is provided by trained ultra-sonographers from Yorkshire Health Solutions, supported by local NHS consultant radiologists," he says.

He says Acomb Gath will also see its first Dementia Wellbeing Café for people with dementia and their carers tomorrow.

Led by a dementia support advisor and supported by volunteers, it takes place in the community café from 1.30 to 3.30pm.