Premier League: 68% of players now double vaccinated

Newcastle goalkeeper Karl Darlow was hospitalised with Covid-19

Sixty eight percent of all Premier League players have now had both doses of the Covid-19 vaccine, the league has announced.

The numbers mark a large increase in uptake of the vaccine.

At the end of September there were only seven clubs in the Premier League where more than 50% of players were 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," the league said.

Earlier this month Republic of Ireland international Callum Robinson revealed he had chosen not to be vaccinated against Covid-19, despite twice contracting the virus.

Robinson was speaking days after Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp expressed exasperation with Premier League players who have not had the vaccine.

Klopp said that "99%" of his players have been vaccinated and that he had not had to convince them to do so, adding that he was jabbed to protect not just himself but "all the people around me".

In the English Football League, the BBC understands that as of September 49% of players were fully vaccinated - up from 18% the previous month.

Premier League managers have previously called on their players to get immunised, including Klopp, Pep Guardiola, Mikel Arteta, Nuno Espirito Santo, Steve Bruce and Graham Potter.

"At their age they are more open to some of these conspiracy theories," England manager Gareth Southgate said of younger people in the UK.

"They are reading social media more, they are perhaps more vulnerable to those sort of views.

"From what I can see there is a bit of confusion around."

About 60% or more of people in the typical age range of a professional footballer (18-36 years old) have had their first dose vaccination