One-fifth of England’s hospitalized are between 18 and 34, official says

Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of National Health Services (NHS) England, said Thursday that 1 in 5 of those admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 is aged between 18 to 34, according to BBC News.

About 1,000 young adults are currently hospitalized and are “really unwell,” Pritchard said. The level of young people being admitted into the hospital is four times higher than the peak last winter when only about 5.5 percent were young adults.

Pritchard is calling on the younger generation to get vaccinated.

“It is still really important for those young people who have not yet taken the opportunity to come forward — or they know someone who hasn’t — this is the time,” she said.

However, Pritchard said the latest revelation shows just how effective the vaccination is for older generations.

“It shows how effective the vaccine programme has been in protecting people, stopping them needing hospitalisation, keeping them safe,” she said, according to the BBC.

However, she urged young individuals to get the vaccine, saying they “are not immune and the best way they can protect themselves absolutely is to get that vaccine if they haven’t already.”

About 250,000 individuals aged 18 to 30 are either fully or partially vaccinated, which Pritchard says is “encouraging.”

The U.K. has been taking multiple precautions as the delta variant continues to ravage the country. In July, Britain reported its highest number of daily deaths from COVID-19 since March, according to Reuters. 

“People have got to remain very cautious and that remains the approach of the government,” Johnson said in July, according to the news outlet.