A HEALTH chief has issued a warning to young people wondering whether or not to get their jab - some of the growing number of Covid patients in York and North Yorkshire hospitals are young and ‘actually quite poorly.’

Amanda Bloor said there had been a slight dip in the vaccine take-up rate among younger people, and she wondered if they might feel there was no advantage in getting vaccinated, following the easing of restrictions on July 19.

But she warned: “We are seeing that there are some younger people in hospital now with Covid and who are actually quite poorly.

“And if you are infected there is also the risk of passing on the virus to more vulnerable and particularly older people, and also the risk of developing long Covid.

“So I would continue to urge encourage everyone to come forward for their vaccination. It is the best method of protection.”

Ms Bloor, of the North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group, was speaking as she revealed that 136 Covid patients from York and North Yorkshire were being treated in hospital on Tuesday- up from 112 last week - with 16 of them in intensive care.

She said those patients included 26 in York, nine in Scarborough and nine in Harrogate.

She said a total of 571,000 people had been vaccinated in York and North Yorkshire as of Tuesday,with 478,000 having received a second dose. “So we’re making really, really good progress with our vaccination programme.”

Meanwhile, the South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals including The Friarage in Northallerton, has said it is now treating Covid patients who are younger than before. It said most patients had had no vaccine or just one dose and patients were younger than seen in previous waves.

Meanwhile, York and Scarborough hospitals were treating 36 Covid patients yesterday, with five in intensive care- the highest number in ICU during the current wave.