LAST winter the eyes of the world were on a Coventry hospital as Margaret Keenan, 91, received the world’s first  approved Covid-19 vaccine.

Since then our vaccination programme has protected people  across the country. Four in five of those eligible have now had two doses.

This winter we are better protected thanks to the hard work of our scientists, NHS staff and volunteers and the public coming forward for the jabs.

But there can be no complacency.The next few months will be challenging as we face both Covid and flu. The winter months suit the virus so we need to keep reinforcing our wall of defence.

That’s why we’ve launched the biggest flu programme in history, with more people now eligible than ever before. I had my flu jab last week and urge you to come forward and do the same.

At the same time we are rolling out our Covid booster programme. Boosters will help to protect the most vulnerable by prolonging the protection which vaccines give.

It will mean you are less likely to get infected and much less likely to suffer from serious disease.

We’ve already seen phenomenal uptake for the first two doses of the vaccine which has allowed us to get back to the things we missed during lockdown.

And the best way to maintain  progress  is to get more jabs in arms as soon as we can. We have already delivered nearly four million top-ups but there are many millions more to do.

We are prioritising the most vulnerable. It has never been easier to get an appointment — just book online or phone 119 as soon as you receive your invite.

I’m delighted that The Sun has launched this hugely important campaign to encourage more people to come forward.

I’d like to thank everyone who has worked so hard to support Britain’s historic, lifesaving rollout. That includes The Sun’s incredible Jabs Army of volunteers.

As we approach winter, we will need to draw on this spirit once again.

This truly is a national effort. So please get your jabs to protect yourselves, your loved ones and the extraordinary progress we have made.

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