Delta variant poses twice risk of hospitalisation vs. Alpha variant, study

 People who become infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 are twice as likely to be admitted to hospital as those who have the Alpha variant, a new study suggests.

The study, carried out by Public Health England and Cambridge University, is the first of its kind to compare the hospitalisation risk of the two variants and highlights the need for people to be fully vaccinated, its authors say.

Dr Gavin Dabrera, a consultant epidemiologist at the National Infection Service, Public Health England, said: "This study confirms previous findings that people infected with Delta are significantly more likely to require hospitalisation than those with Alpha, although most cases included in the analysis were unvaccinated.

"We already know that vaccination offers excellent protection against Delta and as this variant accounts for over 98% of COVID-19 cases in the UK, it is vital that those who have not received two doses of vaccine do so as soon as possible."

In the latest study, researchers analysed healthcare data from 43,338 positive cases in England between 29 March and 23 May 2021, including information on vaccination status, emergency care attendance, hospital admission, and other demographic characteristics.

https://news.sky.com/story/covid-19-hospitalisation-risk-doubles-with-delta-variant-when-compared-to-alpha-variant-study-finds-12392137