The English Premier League confirmed on Tuesday that 68 per cent of its players have now been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

It added that 19 per cent were, however, yet to receive their first dose.

The vaccine uptake 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 confirmed 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,” it said in a statement. “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.”

It added that the league would provide no specific details about clubs or individuals, and player vaccination rates would 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 conspiracy theories on social media sway them.

“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 as to why they are choosing to be jabbed or not to speak publicly about it.”

(dpa/NAN)