Surgeon who recovered from Covid urges those eligible to have their booster and flu jab
A leading Shropshire clinician, who recently recovered from Covid-19, has encouraged those who are eligible to get their booster dose and flu vaccination, ahead of the challenging winter months.
Mr Sudheer Karlakki, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital (RJAH), has stressed the importance of getting both Covid-19 booster and flu vaccines, after recently recovering from a debilitating bout of Covid-19.
The plea comes as those eligible can now book their Covid-19 booster dose online if it’s been five months (152 days) since their second dose for them to be offered appointment dates from six months (182 days) after the date of their second dose.
Mr Karlakki said: “Speaking from my own experience of having Covid, I was pretty ill, and the last time I was this ill was when I had Typhoid when I was nine years old.
"I probably avoided hospitalisation because I’d been vaccinated earlier on in the year and had antibodies in my blood, as I found out later.
“Both Covid and the flu can be life-threatening – and having them together would be particular dangerous, which is why I’m strongly encouraging everyone to either get vaccinated against Covid if they haven’t yet already – or if they’re eligible to ensure they have their booster and flu jab. It’s the best way of protecting yourself and your family.”
Mr Karlakki, who has also been a Covid vaccinator at the RJAH Vaccination Centre, has filmed a video for social media, encouraging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19 and flu, ahead of the winter.
If you had your second Covid-19 vaccination at least six months ago, you are eligible for a booster, and you can walk-in for a Covid-19 booster – without a letter, text or email from the NHS – or book an appointment.
Steve Ellis, service director and deputy senior responsible offficer for the Covid-19 vaccination service in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, said: “I echo Mr Karlakki’s comments.
"I would urge anyone who is eligible for a booster to get it as soon as possible, ahead of winter to protect themselves and those around them.
"It is quick, effective and provides really important protection against the virus.”
Last week a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) spokesperson commented on why we need boosters to increase our protection. They said: “The latest evidence from SAGE shows that protection against symptomatic disease falls from 65 per cent, up to three months after the second dose, to 45 per cent six months after the second dose for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, and from 90 per cent to 65 per cent for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
"Protection against hospitalisation falls from 95 per cent to 75 per cent for Oxford/AstraZeneca and 99 per cent to 90 per cent for Pfizer/BioNTech.
“Although the vaccine efficacy against severe disease remains high, it should be noted that a small change can generate a major shift in hospital admissions."
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) says 1.2m people had Covid in mid-October – one in 50, which is the highest prevalence measured. The rate of infection in the vaccinated population is only a quarter of the rate in the unvaccinated population.
The vaccination has had a significant impact in lowering the risk of serious illness and the need for hospitalisation.
Details of the walk-in clinics available in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin can be found at stwics.org.uk/our-priorities/covid-19-vaccination-programme/walk-in-clinic-times.
