DAccording to one study, if you are infected with the delta variant of the coronavirus, the risk of admission to the hospital is approximately twice that of the alpha variant.Researchers Cambridge University The Public Health Authority of England evaluated more than 40,000 cases of corona in England between the end of March and the end of May 2021. The results published in the journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases are mainly related to the risk of unvaccinated people. The data does not allow any conclusions to be drawn about people who are fully vaccinated.
So far, research has mainly shown that delta variants are more transferable; there are hardly any reliable statements about serious course risks. Scientists now use tens of thousands of positive test results assigned to delta or alpha through genetic analysis. Nearly 9,000 people returned to Delta, and approximately 35,000 returned to Alpha. Related to this, the researchers looked at the number of hospitalizations.
After adjusting the data for factors such as age and demographics, these factors usually increase the risk of serious illness. They found that people infected with Delta had an average 2.26 times higher risk of hospitalization within two weeks after the test was confirmed. Therefore, the risk of Delta having to go to the emergency room or hospital within 14 days is 1.45 times that of Alpha.
People who are not vaccinated are at high risk
Of the more than 40,000 cases examined in the study, only 1.8% of the cases were fully vaccinated, which the researchers interpreted as further confirmation that the vaccine is very effective. 74% of the considered infected persons were not vaccinated, and 24% were only partially vaccinated, that is, received only one dose of the vaccine. Due to the limited data available, researchers cannot make any statement about whether people who are vaccinated also have a higher risk of serious illness.
“Our analysis shows that the unvaccinated delta epidemic is much more burdensome on the health system than the alpha epidemic,” said Anne Presanis, one of the authors of the study, from the University of Cambridge. . “Complete vaccination is essential to reduce the risk of symptomatic infections and the risk of severe delta infections and hospital admissions.”
No data on past illnesses
The authors cited the weakness of their study, which is that they did not have any data on the patients’ previous illnesses. It is also possible that the admission rules have changed during the probation period. Researchers at least try to reduce these factors as much as possible in their calculations.
