High levels of Delta found in double jabbed

DOUBLE-JABBED people who get infected with the Delta variant still carry high levels of the virus in their bodies, a study suggests.

It showed two doses of vaccine offer good protection against the dominant Covid variant.

But anyone who gets infected with Delta after having two jabs has similar peak levels of the virus in their systems to people who have not been vaccinated.

In contrast, fully vaccinated people infected with the previously circulating Alpha variant had lower levels of virus in their bodies.

The findings have raised concerns about how effective jabs are at preventing transmission of Delta – and highlighted how important it is to get vaccinated.

Sarah Walker, chief investigator for the Covid-19 Infection Survey, said: “We don’t yet know how much transmission can happen from people who get Covid-19 after being vaccinated. For example, they may have high levels of virus for shorter periods of time.”

But she added: “People who are not vaccinated may not be as protected from Delta as hoped. “This means it’s essential as many people as possible get vaccinated, in the UK and worldwide.” Latest Covid figures show more than 47.4 million people have received a first jab, including 40.9 million who have had two doses. A further 33,904 cases and 111 deaths were recorded.

The study also found Pfizer jabs appeared to give stronger initial protection than AstraZeneca, but its power declined faster.After four to five months, protection from both vaccines was similar. The new data will be used by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation when making its decision about an autumn booster. Expert Dr Alexander Edwards said: “This study...shows although Delta is better at infecting vaccinated people than previous variants, the vaccines still work remarkably well.”