Does the Delta variant double the risk of being hospitalized?

People infected with the Delta variant have twice the risk of being hospitalized compared to previous variants of the virus, according to a large study in England published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The study confirms previous research that suggested that the highly contagious variant could lead to a greater risk of hospitalization. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classified the delta as a "disturbing variant" in June, saying such a classification "was based on growing evidence that the Delta variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared with other variants. ”

Public health researchers in England saw the virus in more than 43,000 cases from late March to late May. At that time, the Delta variant had begun to spread in Britain, but was not yet the dominant variant. Most of the people in the study - 80% - were infected with the Alpha variant, which included England at the end of 2020. Only 20% had confirmed Delta variant infections. Less than 2% of people were fully vaccinated and almost 75% were unvaccinated. The remaining individuals were partially vaccinated.

After analysis for risk factors such as age and underlying conditions, the data showed that partially vaccinated (single-dose) or unvaccinated persons who were infected with the Delta variant were twice as likely to be hospitalized as the variants. previous. They were also 1.5 times more likely to need urgent medical attention.

"Our analysis reveals that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreak will place a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic," study lead author Anne Presanis of Cambridge University said in a statement. for the press.