More than four-fifths of Omicron patients in England's hospitals have not had their booster doses, official figures have revealed.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed the toll in its weekly surveillance update, saying 608 out of 815 hospitalised patients struck down with the ultra-infectious variant were not triple-jabbed. A quarter was unvaccinated, reports DailyMail.
Meanwhile, the health officials unveiled further data showing that booster vaccines cut the risk of hospitalisation with Omicron by up to 88 per cent.
And two doses still slashed the odds by up to 72 per cent, up to nearly six months after the jab, the report said.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the recent figures 'reinforced' the importance of vaccines in saving lives and preventing serious illness.
Ministers ramped up the booster drive with the aim of hitting 1 million jabs a day in an effort to give every eligible Briton the third jab before the end of the year and stop the NHS from being overwhelmed this Winter.
The UK's Prime Minister Boris Johnson bragged about hitting that target despite figures showing 9.5 million eligible adults in England are still yet to have the booster jab.
--IANS
vc/dpb
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
RECOMMENDED FOR YOU