ROME, Dec 17 — Italy’s top soccer league, Serie A, said that 98 per cent of its players have received two vaccinations for Covid-19, helping the division stay relatively unaffected by the virus.

The division has not been heavily disrupted by the pandemic this season, with the number of positive cases among players remaining relatively low.

The situation stands in stark contrast to England, where three midweek games were postponed and half of this weekend’s 10 Premier League fixtures have been called off due to outbreaks as the Omicron variant spreads rapidly across the country.

Serie A told Reuters today that 98 per cent of its players have been double jabbed, but said they had no data about the percentage that have received a third dose.

The most recent Premier League data on vaccinations from mid-October found that 81 per cent of players had received one dose and 68 per cent were double jabbed.

Yesterday, the English Football League (EFL) said that 25 per cent of the players from its 72 clubs did not intend to get vaccinated.

Juventus and Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini urged his social media followers to get their booster jab at the start of December.

"Let’s all play our part and get vaccinated for ourselves and to protect the most fragile people,” the 37-year-old wrote on Twitter.

Some positive cases have been recorded in Serie A in recent weeks, including AS Roma midfielders Bryan Cristante and Gonzalo Villar and Napoli’s Diego Demme and Matteo Politano.

Italy’s National Health Institute (ISS) said on Wednesday that the Delta variant was still predominant in the country, with official figures showing the total number of Omicron variant cases standing at 28 as of December 15. — Reuters