90% In ICUs Have Not Had Booster Jab, Says British PM

The UK has been hit by a huge surge of the new Omicron variant, with England and Wales reporting record case numbers on Tuesday

Around 90 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care units have not had a booster jab, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Wednesday, defending his decision not to tighten virus curbs in England.

Speaking at a vaccination centre, PM Johnson urged people to get "vital" booster jabs, saying "the overwhelming majority" of those currently going into intensive care in our hospitals have not had the booster jab.

"I've talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90 percent of people in intensive care who are not boosted," the prime minister added in Milton Keynes in central England.

Those who have not been vaccinated are "eight times more likely to get into hospital," he warned.