Delta Variant Doubles the Risk of Hospitalization, Study Confirms

People infected with the delta variant of the coronavirus have double the risk of hospitalization compared with earlier versions of the virus, according to a large study from England published Friday in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

The study confirms prior research that suggested the highly infectious variant could lead to greater risk of hospitalization, including research from Scotland published in June.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention classified delta as a “variant of concern” in June, telling NBC News in a statement at the time that the classification was “based on mounting evidence that the Delta variant spreads more easily and causes more severe cases when compared to other variants.”

We thought we could control the pandemic with about 70% of the country vaccinated. But with the Delta variant leading to case surges even in highly vaccinated countries, that changes the math. We may need 90% to take the COVID-19 vaccine to really wrangle with this variant, says Alabama epidemiologist Dr. Suzanne Judd.