ABOUT 90% of coronavirus patients in intensive care units have not had booster shots, said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson today, defending his decision to not tighten virus restrictions in England.

He urged people to get “vital” booster jabs, saying that “the overwhelming majority” of those currently going into intensive care in our hospitals have not had the jab.

“I have talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90% of people in intensive care who are not boosted,” he said at a vaccination centre in Milton Keynes.

He warned that those who have not been vaccinated are “eight times more likely to get into hospital”.

The United Kingdom has been hit by a huge surge of Omicron, with England and Wales reporting record infection numbers yesterday. The UK has been one of the worst-hit in Europe, with a death toll of 148,021.

Johnson said more than 32.5 million people have had boosters in the UK.

He urged the 2.4 million people who had two jabs more than six months ago but no booster to come forward.

While Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have limited social contacts and closed nightclubs ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations, Johnson has justified his decision to not do so in England.

He said the high take-up of boosters in England “is allowing us to go ahead with New Year in the cautious way that we are”.

The government held back on further curbs as it “can see the data about the relative mildness of Omicron”, he added.

He also stressed the “very, very clear effect of getting those jabs, of boosters in particular”, saying “that is what is making a huge difference”.

Johnson had set a target of offering boosters to all adults by the end of the year.

“What we need to do now is really finish off that work,” he said today. – AFP, December 29, 2021.