Booster jabs should be offered to everyone in the UK over 18 in a bid to stop a potential wave of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19.

The length of time between your second jab and booster jab should also be halved to three months, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) announced this afternoon.

The JCVI had previously advised that those aged over 40 years and those at higher risk from coronavirus should be offered a booster.

This new JCVI advice means those aged 18 to 39 will also be eligible for a booster when the NHS calls them forward.

The booster will be offered in order of descending age groups, with priority given to the vaccination of older adults and those in a Covid-19 at-risk group. In response to the changing risk posed by the Omicron variant, the booster will now be given no sooner than three months after the primary course.

In addition, a second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine (30 microgram) for young people aged 12 to 15 years is advised no sooner than 12 weeks after the first dose.

The overall intention of the measures is to accelerate the deployment of Covid-19 vaccines and raise levels of protection across the population, the government advisors said.

Prof Wei Shen Lim, chair, Covid-19 immunisation, JCVI said: “Having a booster dose of the vaccine will help to increase our level of protection against the Omicron variant.

“This is an important way for us to reduce the impact of this variant on our lives, especially in the coming months.

“If you are eligible for a booster, please take up the offer and keep yourself protected as we head into winter.

“Both the Moderna (50 microgram) and Pfizer-BioNTech (30 microgram) vaccines have been shown to substantially increase antibody levels when offered as a booster dose and should be used with equal preference in the Covid-19 booster programme.

“JCVI will continue to review the programme and consider further evidence to ensure that health benefits are maximised alongside the rapidly evolving data on the Omicron variant.”

Eleven cases of the Omicron variant have now been detected in the UK, but none in Wales.

Dr Frank Atherton from Public Health Wales warned earlier today however that it was only a matter of time before the variant showed up.

The Welsh Government has also announced that booster jabs will now show up on Covid passes.