Health: Delta patients ‘took longer to recover’ – Gulf Digital News

Health: Delta patients ‘took longer to recover’ – Gulf Digital News

PATIENTS infected with the Delta variant of Covid-19 recovered slowly compared to those with Alpha mutant, according to a Bahrain study.

The research paper, published on Monday in Frontiers in Immunology, the official journal of the International Union of Immunological Societies, also stated that Delta patients stayed longer in hospitals and had higher virus transmission rates.

The study by four Bahrain scholars – including the National Taskforce for Combating Covid-19 monitoring committee head Lieutenant Colonel Dr Manaf Al Qahtani – further pointed out that both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients had the same outcomes.

Lt Col Dr Al Qahtani

More than 1,300 patients infected with the two Covid-19 strains from January to May last year were examined as part of the study. Infections were found to be more severe among youngsters aged between 35 and 39, with only 20 to 35 per cent of them being vaccinated.

Alpha and Delta are among the five Covid-19 strains registered by the World Health Organisation. The other three are Beta, Gamma and Omicron.

Viruses ‘mutate’ over time with some changes enhancing its ability to spread and cause severe illness.

Mr Al Awadhi

Alpha and Beta variants were endorsed in December 2020, the former detected in the UK and the latter in