LONG queues have been seen outside Churchill Square as people rush to get their Covid-19 booster before Christmas.

MP for Hove and Portslade Peter Kyle said that getting a third shot of the coronavirus vaccine is "the best Christmas gift ever".

It comes as it was announced that there would be no further restrictions before Christmas, amid the rise of the new Omicron variant.

Brighton and Hove Healthwatch announced this week that they had see a huge increase in vaccinations.

Mr Kyle said: "Not queuing for the latest Christmas must-have gift…queuing for boosters today at Churchill Square in Brighton.

"Thank you each and every one.

"You’re protecting yourself, those you love and everyone else.

"That’s the best Christmas gift ever."

More than 10,000 new appointments have been released and booked this week, and more appointments are being added to the national booking system website.

Last Sunday, it was announced that from this week all adults would be eligible for a booster vaccination when they reach three months from the date of their second jab.

It was also announced that all adults would be offered a third dose by the end of December.

Data from the UK coronavirus dashboard shows at least 24,735 people in Brighton and Hove received a booster or third vaccine dose in the week ending Monday, December 20 – the latest available data.

That was more than double the 11,360 extra jabs given the previous week.

In Worthing, at least 13,163 people got their booster or third vaccine dose over the same period, with at least 8,801 in Crawley and 7,515 in Eastbourne also getting their jab.

Of the latest seven days, December 20 saw the most extra jabs in arms (3,998) – the highest number since the NHS booster jab campaign was launched in mid-September.

A total of 108,413 people in Brighton and Hove had received a booster or third dose by Monday – at least 37 per cent of people aged 12 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.

The news comes after Brighton and Hove reported a further 598 cases of coronavirus yesterday.

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