The delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalization, the study says

“If we do not have a vaccine in our analysis, the infection caused by the delta variant will have a greater burden on the health system than that caused by the alpha variant,” underlined Anne Presanis, co-author of the study.

It is already known that the Delta variant, first identified in India, will be transmitted 40% to 60% longer than the Alpha variant, which originated in the UK late.

Although preliminary data from Scotland and Singapore already indicate the risk of hospitalization with this variant and severe forms of COVID-19, still little information is available on its severity.

Study authors published in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases Data from more than 43,000 COVID-19 cases registered in England between March 29 and May 23 were analyzed, and the Delta variant began to spread across the channel.

The proportion of cases linked to the alpha variant (confirmed by sequencing) averaged 80% over the entire duration (99.8% in the first week, decreasing to 34.8% in the last), due to the delta variant of 20%.

One-third (74%) were not vaccinated and a quarter (24%) received a single dose, with only 1.8% of fully vaccinated individuals having infections.

2.3% of delta positive cases were hospitalized within two weeks of testing compared to 2.2% of the alpha variant cases.

Researchers, however, estimate that resetting the data to take into account factors affecting the risk of severe Covid-19 (age, race, vaccine status) multiplied the delta variant with a hospital risk of 2.26 compared to the alpha. Variant

Patients affected by the delta variant were particularly young with a median age of 29 years compared to those aged 31 years for the alpha variant.

Anne Presanis, a statistician at the University of Cambridge, underlined that “the results of this study tell us about the risk of hospitalization for those who have not been vaccinated or who have not been partially vaccinated above all” because the proportion of people who have been vaccinated is low.

Several studies have shown that vaccines are highly effective against the severe COVID-19 associated with the delta variant. Their effect is limited after a single dose.

“While this variant now causes over 98% of COVID-19 cases in the UK, those who do not receive both doses need to do so as soon as possible,” said Gavin Dobrera, a co – author researcher and epidemiologist in the public domain. Health England.