People who have been infected with the coronavirus in the past are now more likely to be infected again because of the Delta variant, according to a French study published in the journal Nature.
This is attributed to the increased ability of this highly contagious variant to avoid the defense of the antibodies triggered by the original infection, a capacity many times greater than that of the British variant Alpha.
The same study also emphasizes that protection against the Delta variant from the first dose of either Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccines is only around 10%, although with the second dose the protection skyrockets to 95%.
These findings explain the rapid spread of the Delta variant in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, especially among young people who have not yet been fully vaccinated.
The study also reports that protection against a single dose of vaccine is just as low as the South African beta variant.
The Public Health Agency announced at the same time that 216.249 cases of the Delta variant have now been detected in the UK, an increase of 54.268 cases or 34% in one week. 99% of all cases are due to the Delta variant.
There have also been 257 deaths in the Delta variant (in England). Of these, 231 were over 50 years old and 26 under 50 years old.
Of the victims over the age of 50, 71% were unvaccinated. There were also 42 victims who had only received the first dose of the vaccine, but also 116 who were fully vaccinated.
Of the 26 victims under the age of 50, 21 had not received any dose of the vaccine, three had received the first dose and two had been fully vaccinated.
Also, 1.904 carriers of the Delta variant have been admitted to a hospital in England. 1.283 were under 50 years old and 615 were over 50 years old.
Of these 615 older patients, 32% were unvaccinated and 43%, or 265, were fully vaccinated. Of the 1.283 patients under the age of 50, 77% had not received any vaccine and 4%, ie 48 patients, had been fully vaccinated.
Meanwhile, data from the NHS England show that around 6% of UK residents over the age of 80 have not even received the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. The percentage corresponds to about 171.000 citizens.
In addition, a regular survey by King's College London based on Covid's ZOE symptom recording program shows that of the estimated 22.638 daily new cases, 11.084, almost half, are of vaccinated citizens.
The positivity rate for those who have received one dose of the vaccine is 3,2% and for those who have been fully vaccinated is 1%.
Researchers at King's College also point out that while vaccines appear to have significantly weakened the link between new cases and deaths, a large number of people with symptoms of the so-called "Covid duration" are still recorded, namely 500 per day.
They also stress that the country has not yet reached the peak of the newest wave of the pandemic due to the Delta variant. It is estimated that there is one carrier with Covid symptoms per 159 inhabitants.