One in five people being admitted to hospital in England with Covid is aged between 18 and 34, the new chief executive of NHS England has said.
In her first major interview, Amanda Pritchard told the BBC that about 1,000 young adults were currently “really unwell” in hospital.
She said it was “so important” people came forward to get vaccinated.
She added the level of young adults being admitted to hospital was four times higher than the peak last winter.
About 5.5% of those in hospital during the winter surge were young adults.
NHS sources said the latest figures on hospital admissions reflected the success of the vaccination programme in protecting older age groups.
Ms Pritchard said: “It shows how effective the vaccine programme has been in protecting people, stopping them needing hospitalisation, keeping them safe.”
She warned that young people who have not been jabbed could become seriously ill, adding, they “are not immune and the best way they can protect themselves absolutely is to get that vaccine if they haven’t already”.
Last week, about 250,000 18-30 year-olds had their first or second dose of a Covid vaccine, which was “incredibly encouraging”, said Ms Pritchard.
“It is still really important for those young people who have not yet taken the opportunity to come forward – or they know someone who hasn’t – this is the time,” she told the BBC’s health editor Hugh Pym.