HEALTH professionals across Ludlow and south Shropshire have been working flat out to provide people with what could prove to be their best present for Christmas and the New Year.

The mission has been to get jabs into as many arms as possible in the battle against a resurgent Covid-19 and the Omicron variant.

Specials clinics have been held to help people to get a jab.

These included clinics at the Station Drive Surgery in Ludlow on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

These drop-in clinics were operated on a ‘walk-in’ basis with no appointment needed.

People getting a jab did not need to be patients at the surgery and did not even have to be from the area.

The hour long clinics between 5.30pm and 6.30pm were on a ‘first come first served basis’ with 200 vaccinations available on each evening.

There will be a third clinic next Wednesday (December 29) when 300 jabs will be available.

At all the clinics people dressed up in warm clothing and waited outside.

The jabs included boosters but first and second vaccinations were also available for people who had previously decided not to have the protection.

Fourth vaccinations are also being given to people are particularly vulnerable because they are have weakened immune systems to help them getting the virus or becoming very ill.

Whilst there has been a high proportion of vaccination take up there remain some people who have decided not to have the jab and they are being encouraged to change their minds.

The vaccination drive in Ludlow and south Shropshire is part of a national effort to offer everyone over the age of 18 a booster by the end of the year to reduce infections and the number of people becoming seriously ill with Covid-19.