Delta COVID-19 variant doubles risk of hospitalization compared to Alpha strain, Scottish study finds

A study out of Scotland has found the Delta COVID-19 variant carries double the risk of hospitalization compared to the Alpha strain, particularly in patients with five or more comorbidities.

During the study period, which spanned from April 1 to June 6, 2021, there were 19,543 coronavirus cases, 377 of which required hospitalization. Of those hospitalizations, 134 cases were S gene-positive. In earlier analysis, researchers had determined that 97% of S gene-positive cases sequenced in Scotland were the Delta variant, and 99% of Delta variants were S gene positive. S gene-negative cases were classified as Alpha variant infections.  In the data, the researchers noted that S-gene positive cases occurred in all ages, but more so in younger children than compared to the Alpha variant. They also found that S gene-positive cases were associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 hospitalization admission when compared to S gene-negative cases, and that a greater number of relevant comorbidities increased the risk.