THE Mayor of Dudley has urged residents to join her by grabbing a jab, with the Omicron variant of Covid-19 now confirmed in the borough.

Residents are urged to “be cautious” and follow the latest guidance with the number of Omicron cases expected to rise significantly in the region, following the national pattern which shows the variant is highly transmissible.

Latest data shows 124,808 people in Dudley had received a booster or third dose by December 14 – at least 44 per cent of people aged 12 and over, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database.

Councillor Anne Millward, Mayor of Dudley, got her booster jab at Elton Centre in Stourbridge on Friday (December 17) and said: "I am delighted to have grabbed my jab and given this protection to myself and others around me.

"The government has updated its booster policy, and anyone aged 18 or over who has had their second vaccine more than three months ago can get a booster."

People are urged to get vaccinated and take the booster jab when eligible as well as continuing to wear face masks, keeping a distance where possible, maintaining good hand hygiene, allowing fresh air in when indoors, taking regular lateral flow tests and getting a PCR test when displaying symptoms.

Those who are meeting up with friends and family in the build up to Christmas and over the holidays are asked to take lateral flow tests before setting out to meet others to help slow the spread of Omicron which was first confirmed in Dudley on November 29, according to figures published by the UK Health Security Agency.

Councillor Nicolas Barlow, cabinet member for health and adult social care, said: "As Omicron cases are confirmed in our borough, we don’t want people to be alarmed but this is a stark reminder that the virus is still very much with us and we all need to do what we can to reduce the spread of infection and protect one another.

"Although we only have a small number of cases of the new variant, we know numbers will rise.

"We also know the number of positive cases remains generally high, so we have every reason to remain cautious."

Karen Wright, director of public health at Dudley Council, said: "As we continue our fight against the virus and it continues to throw new variants at us, we have to stay strong and do what we can to help ourselves and others.

"The vaccine is one of our best defences. I can’t stress enough how important this is along with following the latest guidance.

"I’d also urge Dudley residents to be kind, to look out for one another and play their part. I’d also ask people to be patient and considerate when using any NHS or health service, they are under increasing pressure as we move through the winter months."

Walk-in appointments are available around the borough and there are more than 100 sites in the Black Country and West Birmingham now offering vaccines. To book an appointment in advance online go to nhs.uk/coronavirus, or to find a walk-in site see nhs.uk/service-search/find-a-walk-in-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-site.