UNVACCINATED Covid patients should be charged for their NHS care, a councillor insisted as figures revealed 60 per cent of cornavirus patients in Essex hospitals are not jabbed.

Ron Woodley, deputy leader of Southend, slammed those refusing the vaccine for putting additional pressure on the NHS this winter.

His comments followed Dr Mike Gogarty, director of public health at Essex County Council revealing the majority of patients fighting Covid in Essex hospitals are not vaccinated.

It comes after more than 5,000 cases were recorded in south Essex in just one week.

Mr Woodley said: “The Government should seriously consider charging for this care.

“I think about £1,000 each day, as these people are taking up medicine unnecessarily. We are charging for care for older people so why not for the unvaccinated too.

“They are taking away medicines and care from the critically ill people who need it. If people chose not to have it, that’s okay, but hospital should be on a private basis.”

Latest figures show one in five people in Southend have yet to have a single dose of the coronavirus vaccine.

It comes as Australia considers the same charges for care, while potential further restrictions across the UK could come into play following Christmas.

Mr Gogarty once again urged anyone yet to receive the Covid jabto do so as a matter of urgency.

He said: “Figures suggest that more than 60 per cent people admitted to hospitals with Covid are not completely vaccinated. Given that the majority of the population has been vaccinated, 60 per cent of the total is a significant amount and a lot of those hospitalisations could have been prevented.

“The message is very clear. If you have not come forward for vaccination then it is not too late. Vaccines provide significant protection against Covid, reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death.

“If you have received two doses then please come forward for a booster. Boosters are not just a topup, but provide a step change in the body’s ability to fight the virus.”

The health boss also stated that booster vaccinations are the most important defence against the emergence of the Omicron variant.

He added: “We know the level of immunoglobulin, the substance that provides immunity by attacking the virus, increases up to 40-fold following a booster.”