The Premier League in England confirmed on Tuesday that 68 per cent of its players have now been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
It added that 19 per cent were however yet to receive their first dose.
The uptake of the vaccine among professional footballers has been debated at length, with several England internationals opting not to discuss their status earlier this month.
The new figures from the Premier League confirm the sport now has a similar uptake to the 18 to 39-year-old average across the UK.
“The Premier League can confirm today (Tuesday) that 81 per cent of players have received at least one COVIDCOVID-19 vaccination dose with 68 per cent now fully vaccinated,” a statement read.
“Vaccination rates are collected by the Premier League on a weekly basis and the league continues to work with clubs to encourage vaccination among players and club staff.
“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the league and player vaccination rates will be communicated at appropriate intervals in the future.”
Speaking during the international break, England’s manager Gareth Southgate suggested players could be against being vaccinated because they are swayed by conspiracy theories on social media.
“They are perhaps more vulnerable to those sort of views,” he said. “From what I can see, there is a bit of confusion around.
“And there are several different threads there to why they are choosing to be jabbed or not to speak publicly about it.”
(dpa/NAN)
