The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalization – Telam

The Delta variant doubles the risk of hospitalization compared to the Alpha variant in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people.

Delta variant doubles risk of coronavirus hospitalization compared to Alpha variant in unvaccinated or partially vaccinated people, according to a new British study published on Friday.

The Delta variant was first reported in India in December 2020 and early studies determined that it was up to 50% more transmissible than the variant that had gained global dominance known as the Alpha variant, first identified in Kent, UK.

The study published in The Lancet magazine is also the largest investigation to date in which more than 40,000 cases of coronavirus in England were analyzed between March 29 and May 23, 2021.

The researchers reported that the risk of going to the emergency room or being hospitalized was 1.5 times higher for people infected with the Delta variant compared to the Alpha variant.

According to Gavin Dabrera, epidemiologist for the National Public Health Infection Service in England and one of the lead authors of the research, the study confirmed previous findings that people infected with Delta are significantly more likely to require hospitalization than those with Alpha.

Clarify that most the cases included in the analysis were not vaccinated or had received a single inoculated dose.

“We already know that vaccination offers excellent protection against Delta and, since this variant represents more than 98% of coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom, It is vital that those who have not received the two doses do so as soon as possible, ”he stressed.

He also warned that the study results suggest that outbreaks of the Delta variant may place a greater burden on health services than those of the Alpha variant, especially among unvaccinated people and other vulnerable populations.

And he noted that he is the first to report the risk of hospitalization for Delta and Alpha variants based on cases confirmed by whole genome sequencing, which is the most accurate way to determine the variant of the virus.

Anne Presanis, lead author of the study and senior statistician in the Biostatistics Unit at Cambridge University, argues that the study showed that Without vaccination, any Delta outbreak will place a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha outbreak.

“A complete vaccination is crucial in reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic Delta infection in the first place and, more importantly, in reducing the risk of serious illness and hospitalization of a Delta patient.”, alert.

UK data

In the UK, a leading country in immunization, the skepticism that millions of Britons have towards vaccines, which calls into question not only their effectiveness, but also their development practices, safety standards and goals .

According to the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), around 1 in 6 (17%) adults aged 16 to 29 said they had doubts about vaccines; this figure is the highest of all age groups.

Currently, people vaccinated in the UK with the first dose number 47,792,552 and with the second 42,072,712.