Whitty’s plea after Covid ward stint... ‘Get your vaccine ASAP’

ENGLAND’S chief medical officer Chris Whitty, left, has urged anyone still unvaccinated to get their Covid-19 jabs as soon as possible. The medic said he had witnessed the suffering of those in hospital with the virus, including many who regretted not getting the vaccine.

Professor Whitty wrote on Twitter: “Four weeks working on a Covid ward makes stark the reality that the majority of our hospitalised Covid patients are unvaccinated and regret delaying.

“Some are very sick including

young adults. Please don’t delay your vaccine.”

There were 37,314 Covid cases recorded yesterday and 114 deaths.

Prof Whitty’s remarks came as Public Health England revealed almost two-thirds of people under 50, who have died in England with the Delta variant, were not jabbed.

The statistics also showed that 55 per cent of people in hospital with the Delta variant had not been jabbed. Among under 50s, the figure rose to three quarters.

There were 1,189 deaths up to August 15 of people who were either confirmed or likely to have had the Delta variant and who died within 28 days of a positive test. Of the 1,076 deaths of people aged 50 or over, 30 per cent were unvaccinated, nine per cent had received one dose and 61 per cent both. Of the 113 deaths of under 50s, 64 per cent were unvaccinated, 10 per cent had received one jab and 24 per cent had received both.