“Very, very few” Covid-19 patients in hospitals in England have received two jabs against the virus, showing the vaccines provide “very high” levels of protection, the chief of a British health association said.

A “handful” of patients in hospital had received both vaccination doses, but they usually have additional conditions, Xinhua news agency quoted Chris Hopson, chief of the National Health Service (NHS) Providers, as saying on Sunday.

Patients tend now to be younger, which means there was a lower need for critical care, he said.

However, it is “incredibly striking” how busy hospitals are, as they deal with non-Covid backlogs, Hopson told the BBC.

Hospitals are going “full pelt”, he said.

According to the latest government data, there are 870 Covid-19 patients in hospitals in Britain, compared to the peak of 39,249 in January.

“More informed debate” is needed for the final step of easing coronavirus restrictions in England on June 21, Hopson added.

Meanwhile, some British experts have warned that the B.1.6172 coronavirus variant could “pick up speed and become a big problem” in the UK if the country further eases its lockdown.

The B.1.6172 variant cases have doubled in a week in England to almost 7,000, prompting concerns that the government’s lockdown roadmap will be derailed.

The roadmap is expected to see all legal limits on social contact to be removed on June 21.

It is understood that a final decision on the planned easing of lockdown will not be made until June 14.

More than 39 million people, about three-quarters of adults in Britain, have been given the first coronavirus vaccine jab, according to the latest official figures.