BAR staff, waiters, beauticians and roofers are least likely to have had all their Covid jabs, figures reveal.
An Office for National Statistics report showed just four out of 10 people working those jobs had their booster by the start of the year.
Uptake is highest in doctors, nurses and teachers with 75 to 80 per cent boosted, with the national average at 65 per cent.
Third jabs are keeping Omicron at bay and England’s R rate – which measures the number of people infected by each case – fell to its lowest level for nearly a year yesterday.
The UK Health Security Agency estimated it was between 0.7 and 0.9, with the outbreak shrinking faster in January than at any time since March 2021.
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A booster shot is the best protection against Omicron, with early data suggesting it pushes efficacy back up to 75 per cent.
Dr Jenny Harries, UKHSA Chief Executive said: “Once again, we urge everyone who is able to get a booster jab to come forward and do so. It is the best defence we have against this highly transmissible new variant.”
Around one in five roofers and tilers in England aged 18 to 64 have not received a vaccine, along with roughly the same proportion of beauticians.
At least one in seven people are likely to be unvaccinated in jobs like bricklaying, security guards, hairdressers and barbers.
Other jobs that involve working in close physical proximity with employees, but have comparatively high levels of non-vaccination, include telesales workers, bar staff and road construction operatives.
There were 89,176 more Covid cases on Friday, which was seven per cent lower than a week earlier.
Deaths dropped to 277 and the number of hospital patients in England fell nine per cent to 13,462.
To keep Covid patient numbers down, NHS doctors will dish out Pfizer’s antiviral pills to high-risk patients from February 10.
People with weak immune systems, cancer or Down’s syndrome will get priority access to the at-home pills.
Trials found the drug, named Paxlovid, slashes the risk of getting seriously ill and dying by up to 88 per cent if given after a positive test.
VAX-DODGERS
It will be the second antiviral used in the UK, with molnupiravir already available to anyone over 50 who joins the government’s clinical trial after a positive test.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the drugs are set to save thousands of lives.
He added: “Our pharmaceutical defences are crucial as we learn to live with Covid-19 and the UK is leading the way, especially when it comes to the use of cutting-edge antivirals.”
The UK Health Security Agency said in a report that the BA.2 variant, an offshoot of Omicron, shows “evidence of a growth advantage” over the dominant strain.
However, there have so far only been 1,072 confirmed cases in the UK and government scientists said there are no signs of it making vaccines less effective.
