|
 Johnson, on a visit to a vaccine centre, said he had been told by
some doctors that up to 90% of patients with COVID-19 in intensive
care had not received their booster vaccines.
"I'm sorry to say this, but the overwhelming majority of people who
are currently ending up in intensive care in our hospitals are
people who are not boosted," he said. "I've talked to doctors who
say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care."
Britain is currently reporting record COVID infections, with 129,471
registered on Tuesday, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron
variant of the virus. There have also been anecdotal reports of
people struggling to get tests.
While daily hospitalisation figures have increased, they are still
well below the crisis endured by hospitals earlier this year, with
about 1,000 people currently being admitted daily compared to 4,000
in January.
[to top of second column] |
 "The Omicron variant continues
to cause real problems, you're seeing cases
rising in hospitals, but it is obviously milder
than the Delta variant," Johnson said.
He added that people should celebrate New Year's
Eve cautiously after he decided not to bring in
tougher restrictions in England to limit the
spread of the virus.
"I think everybody should enjoy new year but in
a cautious and sensible way. Take a test, (think
about) ventilation, think about others but above
all, get a booster," he said.
(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Michael
Holden)
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