New figures from the NHS show that 20% of people hospitalised with COVID right now are young – between the ages of 18 to 34
According to NHS England, patients aged 18-34 are more than one-fifth of those admitted to hospital in England last month (July).
Currently, there are over 5,000 people hospitalised for severe COVID.
Young people ‘are not immune’, says NHS Chief
Amanda Pritchard, new Chief Executive of NHS England, told reporters that young people “are not immune and the best way they can protect themselves absolutely is to get that vaccine if they haven’t already.”
The Delta variant is globally dominant, and twice as likely to put virus-sufferers in hospital as the original form of the virus that came from Wuhan. People who are double-vaccinated will have the highest level of antibody protection, but the Delta variant is still powerful enough to significantly lower the efficiency of every vaccine.
170,000 doses will expire
Vaccine take-up for young people in the bracket between 18-24 has slowed considerably, with UK authorities pushing for more young people to get their first and second doses booked. According to a leaked NHS email, 170,000 Moderna doses are due to expire in mid-August if they are not used up.
The NHS is struggling to deal with demand, as many staff are taking their delayed leave and the remaining staff have to figure out how to meet the backlog of primary care while creating booster jab infrastructure, among other issues.
A lead cancer nurse commented: “We’ve all got that Covid fatigue.
“We’re exhausted by the way we’re living and working. And it’s really difficult. The thing is, we’re coming up to winter, we’ve got to step up to the mark again. And it’s whether we have the resilience to deal with that.”
Currently, less than 10% of the global population are double-vaccinated. The WHO warns that if richer nations push ahead with third doses, those in poorer countries will end up facing a devastating next wave – without access to the necessary vaccines.
