BERLIN (AP) — Most COVID-19 patients in intensive care in German hospitals aren't vaccinated, data published on Thursday indicates.

The data from Germany's intensive care association DIVI showed that 62% of ICU patients whose vaccine status was known had received no protective shots against the coronavirus. Unvaccinated people make up about a quarter of the German population.

Almost 10% were only partially vaccinated while 28% of ICU patients were fully inoculated, it said.

About 72.3 % of the German population has received at least two jabs, while 45.1% have also had a booster shot.

Germany’s independent vaccine advisory panel on Thursday endorsed booster shots for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17.

The expert committee said children in that age range should receive the mRNA shot made by Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech at least three months after their last vaccination.

Germany has seen a steady rise in cases in recent weeks as the Omicron variant has started spreading throughout the country.

The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control agency, 81,417 newly confirmed infections in the past 24 hours, and 316 deaths.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told lawmakers on Thursday that he believes compulsory vaccination for everyone is “the fastest and safest way out of the pandemic.”