UK PM and NHS appealing for volunteers as 500k book boosters in a day
December 14, 2021, 8:00 am

UK PM and NHS appealing for volunteers as 500k book boosters in a day

COVID vaccine-Injection/Pixabay

The BBC reported that over half a million people booked their Covid booster jabs on Monday - despite the NHS website crashing as thousands sought top-up doses.

Boris Johnson revealed the figure a day after pledging that boosters would be offered to all over-18s by 31 December.

The BBC said that long queues formed at walk-in vaccination sites on Monday, with some people waiting five hours to get jabs.

It mentioned that the PM and the NHS are now appealing for volunteers to help get jabs into arms and run vaccination centres.

UK Prime Minister taking booster shot/Official Facebook page

It added, the prime minister and NHS England chief executive Amanda Pritchard are appealing for "tens of thousands" of volunteers - from trained vaccinators to stewards - to join the "national mission" and help achieve the accelerated booster rollout.

Mr Johnson said: "Many thousands have already given their time but we need you to come forward again, to work alongside our brilliant GPs, doctors, nurses and pharmacists, to deliver jabs and save lives.

"So please come forward if you can."

No 10 said hundreds more sites, mobile units and pop-ups would be set up across the country including at football stadiums, shopping centres and racecourses in the next week.

Monday saw online booster jab bookings open for people aged 30 and over - a day after the prime minister announced an expansion to the rollout amid the "Omicron emergency".

People aged 18 to 29 will be able to book their booster jabs online from Wednesday.

At the moment there are nearly 3,000 vaccine sites across the country run by more than 90,000 volunteers.

After last week's NHS recruitment drive for 10,000 paid vaccinators, 4,500 people have registered their interest while 13,000 have come forward as volunteer stewards.

Source: BBC

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”