WHY are fewer people getting vaccinated at the moment? Some 89 per cent of the population have received one jab, another 69 per cent have had two.

However, this leaves around five million adults over the age of 18 who have not been vaccinated at all. 

Nor does this take account of the 12 million or so children, who are not eligible for vaccination.

Back in June, when the release of the final restrictions on day-to-day life were supposed to be removed, a one-month delay was announced.

This was so that more vaccinations could be done to overcome the spread of the virus. It was a race between the vaccines and the Delta variant, we were told.

Yet from that moment, vaccination levels dived. Fewer and fewer took the first vaccination and the catch-up on second jabs similarly slowed. 

The slow take-up of vaccination has been particularly bad in London, which is lagging a long way behind the rest of the country.

We were assured there were no supply issues.

So it must have surprised many that the remaining restrictions were released on July 19 2021, with infections soaring upwards. 

There seemed to be a total reversal of previous policy, which urged lockdown, social distancing, face coverings, working at home etc. 

We seemed to move from containing the virus to the herd immunity approach — first adopted, the discarded, at the start of the pandemic.

The mantra has always been that though the rates might be going up, hospitalisations and deaths remained relatively low. 

The vaccine was breaking the link between the virus and hospitalisation and death.

This, though, does not explain why the vaccination rates has slowed so much. 

More than 50 per cent of those finishing up in hospital have not been vaccinated.

A doctor writing anonymously in the Guardian newspaper recalled: “Most of these people have the decency to look sheepish, or to describe themselves as ‘one of those idiots.’ 

“Not all, mind: some remain defiant as they are wheeled off to intensive care, and their families deny that Covid itself exists even as their relative is placed on a ventilator.”

It is very difficult to understand. Some people seem to think they are immune from this disease, despite all the evidence of the past 18 months.

There are the conspiracy theorists, who believe it is all some grand plan to take over the world. 

These fanciful theories gain traction as they float around on social media.

There are of course those who medically are not able to have the vaccine, but they are very few in terms of the overall population.

The cold hard facts are that five million adults have not been vaccinated — if they catch the disease, a growing number will end up in the hospitals. Death levels will rise. Why?

The attitude of those who refuse to be vaccinated is the opposite of the vast majority of the population, who could not wait to be jabbed once the vaccines had been approved.

The NHS and local authorities have done a superb job in delivering the vaccination programme. 

It has broken the link between serious illness and death from Covid. So why, when we are so near to getting on top of this thing, are a sizeable minority of the population still refusing to be jabbed?

It is in everyone’s interest to get vaccinated against this terrible disease, a jab for one is a jab for all. 

If you have not been vaccinated, please come forward and get your jab.