People in Guernsey who haven't had a Covid-19 booster jab are 'three or four times more likely' to have the infection, according to Public Health data.

That is the conclusion following analysis of recent cases in the Bailwick.

"Bailiwick COVID-19 data for early January 2022 supports a conclusion that Bailiwick residents who have not yet had a booster vaccination are currently 3 to 4 times more likely to have a COVID-19 infection compared to those who have received their booster.

Using case numbers from Thursday 6th January and their vaccination status, 2.5% of everyone who had received a booster dose had COVID while 8.3% of all those who had not had a booster were COVID positive." - States of Guernsey.

Dr Nicola Brink says there are three or four times more cases of Covid -19 in adults who have not have a third vaccine dose.

The Director of Public Health says she can't understate the importance of being boosted to help move us out of the pandemic.

A quarter of over 18s are still to have a booster jab and attendance at the clinic has dropped considerably since before Christmas, with the opening hours cut as a result.

Dr Brink says there now needs to be a 'big push' to get the remaining 25% of eligible adults to have their third vaccine dose.

"We have heard various but consistent reasons why some people aren't getting their booster and I just want to go over a three of them. The first is that people believe Omicron is milder so they're prepared to take their chances. Omicron may be milder than Delta but it still has the potential to be serious, or even if not serious very unpleasant. Getting boosted massively increases the likelihood of you having milder disease.

'The second reason we're hearing is that people had a reaction to their primary dose so don't want the booster. I completely understand that for some people the vaccine can make them feel unwell for a day or two, but the vaccine is designed to help prepare your body to fight off the virus should you get it. The virus itself is likely to make you feel unwell for longer than the booster, should you be someone who experiences side effects to it. I would encourage anyone who is concerned about this to attend the CVC and speak to one of our clinicians who will gladly discuss your concerns with you.

'The third reason we're hearing for people not getting the booster is that simply they have vaccine fatigue. They're wondering where it will end and are a bit fed up of having to deal with COVID now. I think a lot of people can relate to that but I would like to reassure those people that as a person is vaccinated with multiple doses, the immune system broadens its response. We absolutely agree that it is not tenable to boost everyone every six months. It is also important to acknowledge that it is plausible that we need more frequent vaccines in the early stages of disease.  As the virus moves from a pandemic to endemic status then I think we will possibly be looking at an annual vaccine. 

"Getting everyone boosted gives us the best chance to get back to a more normal existence as quickly as possible."

The latest case data shows there have been two further deaths of people with Covid-19 in the Bailiwick.

320 people have tested positive since Friday (7 January) and there are currently 1752 known active cases.