Key clinical point: Infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant carries a significantly higher risk for hospitalization and attending hospital for emergency care than the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant.
Major finding: The Delta variant was associated with more than twice the risk of being admitted to hospital (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR], 2·26; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1·32-3·89) and nearly 1.5 times the risk of seeking emergency care (aHR, 1·45; 95% CI, 1·08-1·95) compared with the Alpha variant.
Study details: A cohort study included 43,338 COVID-19-positive cases in England who were found to be infected with either the Alpha or Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant through whole-genome sequencing.
Disclosures: The study was funded by Medical Research Council, UK Research and Innovation, Department of Health and Social Care, and National Institute for Health Research. GD's employer, Public Health England was funded by GlaxoSmithKline for a research project related to seasonal influenza and antiviral treatment but had no relation to COVID-19. The remaining authors declared no conflict of interests.
Source: Twohig KA et al. Lancet Infect Dis. 2021 Aug 27. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00475-8 .