A top doctor has revealed that all the Covid-19 patients in the intensive care units of his hospital are unvaccinated.
Dr David Hepburn, an intensive care doctor at The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran, also said "several" patients had died this week with the virus.
He added that none of those who had died had any significant underlying health issues, WalesOnline reports.
His comments come as infections rates across Wales remain high with some parts recording in excess of 2,000 cases per 100,000 population.
Dr Hepburn wrote on Twitter that while things were going relatively smoothly for staff in intensive care, where Covid numbers had remained stable, the same could not be said for other parts of the hospital.
He wrote: "All the Covid patients on ITU are unvaccinated at present and we've had several deaths this week.
"None of them had significant comorbidities and were people you would usually expect to live another 30-plus years.
"We now have less Covid cases on the unit than for several months – this might be because of good vaccination levels locally or we haven't hit the peak of Omicron as yet.
"So all in all we are in good shape as ITUs go. However the same can't be said for the rest of the hospital – large numbers of Covid patients being admitted and staff shortages are significantly affecting our ability to do routine operations, outpatients, and diagnostics which will lead to delayed diagnosis and treatment as well as worsen outcomes.
"Waiting lists are longer than ever and the knock-on effect will be significant."
Dr Hepburn said getting vaccinated and boosted "significantly reduces the risk of needing hospitalisation or ITU and eases the pressure on non-Covid work".
He added: "Even if your risk is low of getting seriously unwell vaccination makes a huge difference to those around you who are awaiting treatment for other conditions. We all need to do what we can to help our neighbours and friends – this is reason enough in my opinion.
"Let's hope things don't get any worse and the Omicron wave passes with minimal disruption – but we can all still do our part. Who knows what the future holds. I am cautiously optimistic but things can change in a heartbeat."
The experienced medic also warned that vaccination was becoming a "hugely divisive issue" polarising two camps.
He said: "All we can do is emphasise that vaccination is generally safe (seven billion doses worldwide) and protects the community, bringing us closer to controlling the outbreak. You only have to look at the difference between wave one and now in terms of serious illness.
"But we need to be sympathetic towards those who are hesitant as there are many cultural, social, and psychological reasons for this."
On Tuesday, Covid cases in the UK rose by 120,821 in 24 hours.
A further 379 deaths were tallied in the last 24 hours - the highest number since February 20th, 2021.
It comes as the UK is just the seventh country to pass the devastating landmark of 150,000 total deaths, following the USA, India, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and Peru.
