According to a study published in, people who contract the delta variant of the coronavirus are twice as likely to be hospitalized as those who contract the original strain. The Lancet Friday.
Researchers in the UK evaluated patients with COVID-19 in England between March 29 and May 23. Of these patients, 8,682 were infected with the delta variant and 34,656 were infected with the original strain.
The majority of patients in the study, 74%, were not vaccinated.
Of the patients with the delta variant, 2.3 percent were hospitalized, compared with 2.2 percent of patients with the original strain at 14 days after the positive test.
But, taking into account certain factors that contribute to the risk of hospitalization, such as age, sex, recent travel, and vaccination status, the delta variant was associated with a hospitalization risk of 2.26 times higher than the original variant. The delta variant was also responsible for a 1.45-fold increase in the risk of requiring emergency care.
Anne Presanis, one of the study’s authors, said in a statement that getting vaccinated is crucial to reducing the risk of symptomatic delta infection.
“Our analysis shows that in the absence of vaccination, any delta outbreak will impose a greater burden on health than an alpha epidemic,” Presanis said. according to Bloomberg. “Complete vaccination is crucial in reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic delta infection.”
The delta variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in many countries, including the US
A separate study in Scotland published in June too found that the delta variant is related to a higher likelihood of hospitalization.