A Closer Look at the Trajectory of COVID-19’s Delta Surge

As the consistent growth in COVID-19 cases driven by the Delta variant seems to have abated, an analysis of this deadly surge is now possible. The most significant takeaway is that the unvaccinated faced the highest rates of morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19 illness, regardless of region. Data from the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that unvaccinated individuals were 12 times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19 than their vaccinated counterparts. This also relates to the next data point: the Delta surge hit younger people much harder than older due to lower rates of vaccination. Third, health inequity in the US fueled higher morbidity and mortality rates among minorities and those of low socioeconomic status. Finally, Delta rapidly spread in rural communities compared to urban ones due to lower numbers of vaccination and reduced access to healthcare. Click here to read more.