COVID-19 Recovery Patterns Across Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B.1.617.2) Variants of SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

BackgroundB.1.1.7 (alpha) and B.1.617.2 (delta) variants of concern for SARS-CoV-2 have been reported to have differential infectivity and pathogenicity. Difference in recovery patterns across these variants and the interaction with vaccination status has not been reported in population-based studies.ObjectiveThe objective of this research was to study the length of stay and temporal trends in RT-PCR cycle times (Ct) across alpha and delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 between vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.MethodsParticipants consisted of patients admitted to national COVID-19 treatment facilities if they had a positive RT-PCR test for SARS-CoV-2, and analysis of variants was performed (using whole genome sequencing). Information on vaccination status, age, sex, cycle times (Ct) for four consecutive RT-PCR tests conducted during hospital stay, and total length of hospital stay for each participant were ascertained from electronic medical records.ResultsPatients infected with the delta variant were younger (mean age = 35years vs 39 years for alpha, p<0.001) and had lesser vaccination coverage (54% vs 72% for alpha, p<0.001). RT-PCR Ct values were similar for both variants at the baseline test; however by the fourth test, delta variant patients had significantly lower Ct values (27 vs 29, p=0.05). Length of hospital stay was higher in delta variant patients in vaccinated (3 days vs 2.9 days for alpha variant) as well as in unvaccinated patients (5.2 days vs 4.4 days for alpha variant, p<0.001). Hazards of hospital discharge after adjusting for vaccination status, age, and sex was higher for alpha variant infections (HR=1.2, 95% CI: 1.01–1.41, p=0.029).ConclusionPatients infected with the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 were found to have a slower recovery as indicated by longer length of stay and higher shedding of the virus compared to alpha variant infections, and this trend was consistent in both vaccinated and unvaccinated patients.

Association between COVID-19 Primary Vaccination and Severe Disease Caused by SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant among Hospitalized Patients: A Belgian Retrospective Cohort Study

“…Vaccination with a primary schedule was associated with lower odds of progression to severe COVID-19 and death after hospitalization for COVID-19. These protective effects were proven before in hospitals in the US [ 21 , 22 , 23 ], Turkey [ 24 ], Slovenia [ 20 ], Pakistan [ 38 ], Scotland [ 19 ], Singapore [ 10 ], France [ 39 ], and Bahrein [ 40 ]. Despite definitions of severe COVID-19 differing across different studies, and some studies including partially vaccinated or boosted patients as ‘fully vaccinated’ or only including mRNA vaccines, ORs estimating the effects against severe COVID-19 ranged from 0.07, 95% CI: 0.01–0.34 [ 10 ] to 0.42, 95% CI: 0.2–0.70 [ 20 ] for ‘fully vaccinated’ to unvaccinated hospitalized patients [ 10 , 20 , 22 , 23 , 24 ].…”

A Tri-light Warning System for Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients: Credibility-based Risk Stratification under Data Shift

“…Omicron) or morbidity (e.g. Delta) when compared with the previously observed strain in the pandemic [2] [3]. Near-capacity hospital and intensive care unit use were commonly reported during the peaks of pandemic waves [4].…”

A loop-mediated isothermal amplification-enabled analytical assay for the detection of SARS-CoV-2: A review

“…The virus has evolved a variety of subtypes and spread all over the world. After the virus variant VOC-202012/01 was first reported in the UK, many countries successively confirmed the infections with the Alpha (B1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), Delta (B.1.617.2) and Omicron (B1.1.29) mutants, which have the ability to spread rapidly (Harrington et al, 2021;Kannan et al, 2022;Kumar et al, 2022;Wink et al, 2022). According to the global initiative on sharing all influenza data (GISAID) survey, the variant rate of the S protein in SARS-CoV-2 is very high (Korber et al, 2020;Rocheleau et al, 2021).…”