On the Delta variant and children

In the Delta waves, are children more at risk?

How SARS-CoV-2 affects children is a major concern, with outbreaks in schools.

One question is: for children, does the Delta variant mean higher hospitalisation rates? There are two main mechanisms:

• Greater transmission: the Delta variant spreads with more ease than other variants.
• Greater severity: the Delta variant induces more serious disease than other SARS-CoV-2 variants.

(Image: CDC)

How much more transmissible is the Delta variant?

The Delta variant appears to have an advantage over other SARS-CoV-2 variants. In India and the United Kingdom, the Delta variant grew to dominate sequenced cases. For the UK, this variant deposed the Alpha version of SARS-CoV-2. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates the Delta variant represent over 80% of US confirmed cases.

A similar pattern emerges across countries. (Image: CoVariants)

The University of Warwick modelling team estimated that advantage. The Alpha variant, had a proxy measure in S-gene target failure. In a mirror image, the Delta variant amplifies the S-gene target…