Delta variant twice as likely to cause hospitalization Bedford News

New research has shown that people are twice as likely to to be hospitalized due to procurement delta variant of the coronavirus, compared to Alpha variant.

The Delta variant currently accounts for almost all cases in the UK, with the bulk of those requiring hospital treatment not being vaccinated.

The research, published in The Lancet, revealed that the delta strain (native to India) is the current threat in the UK, as opposed to the Alpha variant (native to Kent, UK).

The study, led by Public Health England (PHE) and the Medical Research Council, examined 43,338 Covid case which occurred between March and May.

Most of these infections involved people who had not yet been vaccinated and although most did not require hospital care, a small portion did.

Of those admitted to hospital, 196 (2.3%) were infected with Delta and 764 (2.2%) of them had Alpha.

The risk of hospitalization was twice as high for people diagnosed with the Delta variant, compared to those with Alpha, after adjusting for differences such as age, gender, and ethnicity.

According to PHE, the efficacy against hospitalization after two doses is:

96% for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine

92% for the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine

There is growing concern that the vaccination will wear off after a while, which has prompted the government to discuss boosters – a third dose of the vaccine.

However, both vaccines still offer good protection against hospitalizations and death caused by Delta despite the drop in the efficacy rating.

Therefore, only those who are clinically vulnerable, those over 70, and those working on the front lines in health and social services will be offered a booster starting in September.

More than 47.9 million people, or around 88% of people aged 16 and over in the UK, have now received a first dose of a vaccine.

Some 42 million people, or about 78 percent of people aged 16 and over, have had a second.

Dr Gavin Dabrera, of PHE, said: ‘We already know that vaccination offers excellent protection against Delta and, as this variant accounts for over 99% of Covid cases in the UK, it is essential that those who do not have not received two doses of the vaccine to do so as soon as possible.

“It is always important that if you are showing symptoms of Covid, stay home and have a PCR test as soon as possible. “

The Lancet study results are consistent with recently reported data from Scotland comparing Alpha and Delta risks.

Scotland has seen its highest rates of Covid cases in recent weeks, with most cases coming from people under the age of 25. This is largely attributed to children returning to school in mid-August.

Although Scotland reported a huge increase within 24 hours to Friday, with 6,835 new cases, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon said a national lockdown was not being considered.