Study Finds Delta COVID-19 Variant Doubles Risk Of Hospitalization, Vaccine Still Effective

A Scottish study released Monday found that the Delta COVID-19 variant carries double the risk of hospitalization as the previously dominant strain in Scotland, called the Alpha strain, but that two-dose vaccines are still effective against the Delta strain. Researchers determined that the Delta strain, which originated in India, became the dominant strain in Scotland on May 19; the previous dominant strain was the Alpha strain, which originated in Kent, England. The study's findings suggested Pfizer/BioNTech's vaccine was found to give 79% protection from the Delta variant, while the same vaccine provided 92% protection against the Alpha strain; Oxford-AstraZeneca's vaccine provided 60% protection from the Delta variant, while it gave 73% protection from the Alpha variant. This comes after the number of Delta strain cases in the U.K. grew in one week from 12,431 on June 3 to 42,323 on June 11. 

Outlets across the political spectrum reported on the details of the study.