The delta variant is the most common variant of the coronavirus mutation today, and not for the best reasons: it is more contagious than previous variants and there is evidence that it increases the risk of hospitalization and is more resistant to vaccines.
The mutation, which was first detected in India last year, where it caused a second wave of infections and thousands of deaths, is now spreading rapidly around the world.
The World Health Organization (WHO) warned last week that Delta is the fastest strain of coronavirus to date and will “kill” the most vulnerable, especially in places with low vaccination rates for Covid-19.
But who are most susceptible to this type? According to data from the UK, where the strain accounts for 95% of all cases, young people, unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, are more likely to be infected, while the elderly are more likely to die.
In England, according to the latest data, cited by CNBC, about 92,029 cases of infection between the beginning of February and mid-June were analyzed and attributed to the delta variant.
Approximately 82,500 of this total were recorded in persons under 50 years of age and the majority (53,822 cases) in unvaccinated individuals.
Among the cases in the unvaccinated population, the vast majority were in the <50 year age group (52,846 cases) and only 976 were in the 50 year age group.
However, the data showed that there were 117 deaths among Britons with the delta variant, the majority in the over 50 age group.
There have been eight deaths among those under 50, six in unvaccinated individuals and the other two in people who received a dose.
These data also show that cases of the delta variant have been identified in people who have been partially and even fully vaccinated, to a lesser extent, which indicates the importance of full vaccination.
Of the 92,029 infections attributed to Delta, nearly 20,000 were recorded in people who received a single dose of the vaccine, and 7,235 were confirmed in people who received two doses.
The data serves as a warning that no vaccine against Covid-19 offers 100% protection, even though most vaccines currently licensed are very close.
