Covid: Addenbrooke's boss says 80% of virus patients are unvaccinated

Unvaccinated people account for about 80% of Covid patients at Addenbrooke's Hospital

The vast majority of a hospital's Covid patients in recent months have been unvaccinated, its boss has said.

Dr Ewen Cameron, of Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, said: "About 80% of patients we've seen over the last few months in general wards and critical care have been unvaccinated."

He said the deaths of unvaccinated patients were particularly tragic since they were usually avoidable.

On Thursday, 35 patients had Covid, six of whom were in critical care.

Dr Cameron, chief operating officer for Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said that of these patients, most were sick with the virus itself, while a small number were in for other reasons and "incidentally" had Covid.

"It's in some ways very tragic when unvaccinated patients are dying because we know in most cases it's completely avoidable," he said.

Researchers now say a Covid booster shot could provide about 85% protection against the Omicron variant.

Dr Ewen Cameron said the hospital had learned how to configure wards for Covid patients and keep staff safe

Dr Cameron said there was "a lot of uncertainty" around the Omicron but the hospital was "making plans to cope".

"We are planning for something in the region of the first wave," he said.

"In the short term, the greatest risk for us is staff being off sick and isolating."

Dr Cameron said 150 staff, about 1% of the workforce, were currently off.