UK doctors urge public to get fully vaccinated as Delta variant spreads

Study finds Delta has nearly double risk of hospitalisation compared with previously dominant Alpha

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Doctors have urged the public to get two shots of coronavirus vaccine after research in Scotland showed that the Delta variant, which has spread across the UK, nearly doubles the risk of hospitalisation.

Public health experts analysed data on Covid tests, hospitalisations and vaccination status for 5.4 million people in Scotland and found that those infected with the Delta variant, first identified in India, were 85% more likely to be admitted to hospital than those infected with the Alpha variant, first detected in Kent.