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Premier League footballers finally appear to have heeded advice to take their Covid-19 vaccine.

Over two-thirds of players are now fully vaccinated while 81 percent of players have had their first dose. That figure is higher than the national average for people under 40, of which all Premier League players are.

The Premier League finally revealed the details of vaccination status in England’s top tier after weeks of refusing to open up on the numbers and citing medical confidentiality.

They said in a statement on Tuesday: “We can confirm today that 81 percent of players have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose with 68 percent now fully vaccinated.

“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.

“No specific details as to clubs or individuals will be provided by the League and player vaccination rates will be communicated at appropriate intervals in the future.’

The detail comes just days after a Mail on Sunday survey found that almost all other top leagues have a much higher vaccine take-up rate than English football.

Rival sports have attributed their success to reasons that include top athletes promoting the jab and tougher restrictions for unvaccinated players, neither of which have happened in the Premier League.

The Premier League has lacked such a spokesperson among top players with conspiracy theories about virility and heart defects being shared amongst WhatsApp groups.

They were unable to persuade its players to take part in a similar publicity campaign despite myth-bunking videos from the UK’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam.

Everton striker Richarlison was revealed to be a rare advocate last week.

The Brazilian has been involved in campaigns encouraging people in Brazil to get vaccinated and posted a picture on social media of himself receiving his second jab.

Government advisor Van-Tam, meanwhile, has repeatedly worked with clubs to encourage players to get vaccinated.

In a video sent to Premier League clubs, Van-Tam warned players they could risk their careers by contracting long Covid and also underlined other benefits of taking the vaccine.

Van-Tam’s video has not been made available to the public but is being distributed by clubs to players via WhatsApp videos and is delivered in Van-Tam’s unique and direct style: “The best protection for you and for everyone — and I’m not mincing my words here — is the vaccine,’ Van-Tam tells the players. “I’m going to give you some scientific facts which I think you as professional footballers need…’

He then deals with one of the key reasons footballers have cited for not getting the vaccine, which is that there’s no point as you can still catch Covid.

Van-Tam says: “A few footballers have been hospitalised with Covid. This is not a joke.

“If you have two doses of Pfizer, it will cut your chances of being ill by 85 per cent and cut your chances of ending up in hospital or dying by 95 per cent.

“It should be pretty obvious that if you don’t get Covid, you can’t get long Covid. And you don’t want long Covid if you’re a top sportsman.’

Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow revealed in September that he spent three days on a hospital drip after catching the virus shortly before he was about to have his first vaccine in July. — Daily Mail