Most cases of the COVID-19 delta variant in the U.K. have been diagnosed in people under 50 years old, but people older than 50 are still at most risk of dying from the virus, even some who are fully vaccinated.
More than 7,000 people diagnosed with the variant in the U.K. were fully vaccinated and 50 people who died from the variant were fully vaccinated, Business Insider reported. All fully vaccinated people who died from the variant were over 50.
According to CNBC, of the 92,029 cases of the delta variant recorded from early February to mid-June in the U.K., 82,500 were recorded in people under 50. However, the majority of 117 deaths attributed to the variant were in people over 50.
Delta variant cases are dominant in the U.K., making up 95 percent of all COVID-19 diagnoses. The variant was first reported in India late last year, where a second wave of COVID-19 infections and deaths began. It spreads faster than the initial strain of the virus, according to the World Health Organization.
Unvaccinated individuals in the U.K. were the most likely test positive for the variant, with 53,822 cases. In the unvaccinated group, most were under 50. Another 20,000 cases were reported in those who had only one dose of a two-dose vaccine, such as the Moderna, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines.
As of Tuesday, more than 32 million people in the U.K. had two doses of a vaccine, said Public Health England.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data tracker, 153.8 million people in the U.S. were fully vaccinated as of Tuesday.
While the U.K. data provides insight in how the delta variant might impact the U.S., there has been inflicting guidance regarding how to mitigate its impact as states and municipalities ease pandemic restrictions. The CDC announced last month that fully vaccinated people could wear a mask outdoors, but the World Health Organization recently recommended that vaccinated people continue to wear masks.
In Los Angeles, public health officials have recommended wearing a mask indoors this week. Israel also reinstated an indoor mask mandate two weeks ago in response to rising cases of the delta variant despite high vaccination rates.
As the delta variant has become the dominant strain worldwide, getting vaccinated and wearing masks appear be good ways to prevent it from spreading further. Though the vaccines are not 100 percent effective against the variant, they are still highly effective against hospitalization for the variant, according to Public Health England. Additionally, the CDC says that wearing masks does help slow the spread of COVID-19.
