A doctor in Louisiana sees COVID-19 patients.Photo: Mario Tama/GettyAs hospitals nationwide fill up with patients — mostly unvaccinated — who are severely ill withthe delta variant of COVID-19, a new study has confirmed that the strain significantly increases the risk of hospitalization.Researchers had already found thatdelta is the most contagious strain of COVID-19seen so far, and this study, published Friday in the journalLancet Infectious Diseases, shows that the variant more than doubles the risk of hospitalization.“The results suggest that patients with the delta variant had more than two times the risk of hospital admission compared with patients with the alpha variant,” the researchers, from Public Health England and the University of Cambridge, wrote.The study was based on data from 8,682 COVID-19 patients in England who contracted the delta variant, and 34,656 with the alpha variant, between March 29 and May 23. The majority, 74%, were unvaccinated.After adjusting for risk factors such as age or vaccination status, the researchers found that delta increases the risk of hospitalization 2.26-fold, while alpha led to a 1.45-fold increase.“Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic,” Dr. Anne Presanis, a lead author on the study and a senior statistician at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release Friday,CNN reported.Presanis emphasized thatvaccination is the best protection against hospitalization and severe illness. All three of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S., from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, prevent hospitalization or death in more than 90% of cases.“Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place, and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patient’s risk of severe illness and hospital admission,” Presanis said.RELATED VIDEO: FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer’s COVID VaccineWith the delta variant driving nearly all COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and just 52% of the country fully vaccinated, cases have soared upwards to around 150,000 a day. Hospitalizations and deaths are also up significantly, with more than 100,000 Americans in hospitals with COVID-19 and an average of nearly 1,300 people dying from the virus a day,according toThe New York Times.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
A doctor in Louisiana sees COVID-19 patients.Photo: Mario Tama/Getty
As hospitals nationwide fill up with patients — mostly unvaccinated — who are severely ill withthe delta variant of COVID-19, a new study has confirmed that the strain significantly increases the risk of hospitalization.Researchers had already found thatdelta is the most contagious strain of COVID-19seen so far, and this study, published Friday in the journalLancet Infectious Diseases, shows that the variant more than doubles the risk of hospitalization.“The results suggest that patients with the delta variant had more than two times the risk of hospital admission compared with patients with the alpha variant,” the researchers, from Public Health England and the University of Cambridge, wrote.The study was based on data from 8,682 COVID-19 patients in England who contracted the delta variant, and 34,656 with the alpha variant, between March 29 and May 23. The majority, 74%, were unvaccinated.After adjusting for risk factors such as age or vaccination status, the researchers found that delta increases the risk of hospitalization 2.26-fold, while alpha led to a 1.45-fold increase.“Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic,” Dr. Anne Presanis, a lead author on the study and a senior statistician at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release Friday,CNN reported.Presanis emphasized thatvaccination is the best protection against hospitalization and severe illness. All three of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S., from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, prevent hospitalization or death in more than 90% of cases.“Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place, and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patient’s risk of severe illness and hospital admission,” Presanis said.RELATED VIDEO: FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer’s COVID VaccineWith the delta variant driving nearly all COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and just 52% of the country fully vaccinated, cases have soared upwards to around 150,000 a day. Hospitalizations and deaths are also up significantly, with more than 100,000 Americans in hospitals with COVID-19 and an average of nearly 1,300 people dying from the virus a day,according toThe New York Times.As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
As hospitals nationwide fill up with patients — mostly unvaccinated — who are severely ill withthe delta variant of COVID-19, a new study has confirmed that the strain significantly increases the risk of hospitalization.
Researchers had already found thatdelta is the most contagious strain of COVID-19seen so far, and this study, published Friday in the journalLancet Infectious Diseases, shows that the variant more than doubles the risk of hospitalization.
“The results suggest that patients with the delta variant had more than two times the risk of hospital admission compared with patients with the alpha variant,” the researchers, from Public Health England and the University of Cambridge, wrote.
The study was based on data from 8,682 COVID-19 patients in England who contracted the delta variant, and 34,656 with the alpha variant, between March 29 and May 23. The majority, 74%, were unvaccinated.
After adjusting for risk factors such as age or vaccination status, the researchers found that delta increases the risk of hospitalization 2.26-fold, while alpha led to a 1.45-fold increase.
“Our analysis highlights that in the absence of vaccination, any Delta outbreaks will impose a greater burden on healthcare than an Alpha epidemic,” Dr. Anne Presanis, a lead author on the study and a senior statistician at the University of Cambridge, said in a news release Friday,CNN reported.
Presanis emphasized thatvaccination is the best protection against hospitalization and severe illness. All three of the COVID-19 vaccines available in the U.S., from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, prevent hospitalization or death in more than 90% of cases.
“Getting fully vaccinated is crucial for reducing an individual’s risk of symptomatic infection with Delta in the first place, and, importantly, of reducing a Delta patient’s risk of severe illness and hospital admission,” Presanis said.
RELATED VIDEO: FDA Grants Full Approval to Pfizer’s COVID Vaccine
With the delta variant driving nearly all COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and just 52% of the country fully vaccinated, cases have soared upwards to around 150,000 a day. Hospitalizations and deaths are also up significantly, with more than 100,000 Americans in hospitals with COVID-19 and an average of nearly 1,300 people dying from the virus a day,according toThe New York Times.
As information about thecoronavirus pandemicrapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from theCDC,WHOandlocal public health departments.PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMeto raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, clickhere.
source: people.com
