London:
About 90 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care units have not had a booster shot, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday, defending his decision not to tighten virus restrictions in England.
During a speech at a vaccination center, Prime Minister Johnson urged people to get “vital” booster shots, saying that “the overwhelming majority” of those currently going to intensive care in our hospitals have not had the booster shot.
“I have spoken to doctors who say the number is as high as 90 per cent of people in intensive care who are not being stimulated,” the prime minister added in Milton Keynes in central England.
Those who are not vaccinated are “eight times more likely to end up in the hospital,” he warned.
The UK has been hit by a huge wave of the new Omicron variant, with England and Wales reporting record numbers on Tuesday. The UK is one of Europe’s hardest hit with 148,021 deaths.
So far, more than 32.5 million people have had a booster shot in the UK, Prime Minister Johnson said.
He urged the 2.4 million people who had had two jabs but no booster more than six months ago to come forward.
While Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have limited social contacts and have closed nightclubs ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, Prime Minister Johnson justified his decision not to do so in England.
The high adoption of boosters in England “allows us to proceed cautiously into the new year,” he said.
The government held back further curbs because “we can see the data on Omicron’s relative leniency,” Prime Minister Johnson said.
He also emphasized the “very, very obvious effect of getting those jabs, especially boosters”, saying “that’s what makes a huge difference”.
Prime Minister Johnson has set himself the goal of offering a booster shot to all adults by the end of the year. “What we need to do now is really finish that work,” he said on Wednesday.
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