Below are the latest numbers from England regarding outcomes of patients hospitalized with the Delta variant. According to Public Health England's COVID-19 variant report, between February 1, 2021 and September 12, 2021, 52% of delta cases, 47% of emergency care visits, and 70% of delta deaths had at least one of dose of the vaccine.
Of the 2,542 deaths recorded in the sample, 1,779 (70%) had received at least their first dose of the vaccine. Whereas, 722 (30%) were unvaccinated.
Of course, there is very likely a propensity of individuals with advanced age and co-morbidities to take the vaccine relative to younger, healthier cohorts. So it is expected that this group would experience more deaths due to their being more vulnerable to the disease at the outset.
As of this week, as many as 89% of England's population are reported to be vaccinated. If we choose a median date during the term of this study and assume that roughly 60% of the population was vaccinated, then vaccinated individuals do index lower for emergency care visit (Index of 78), but index higher to ultimately succumb to the disease (Index of 117).
I have to concede that this data suggests vaccination among individuals under the age of 50 will reduce the likelihood that they will need to be admitted to an emergency room. Without knowing the actual percentage of people under the age of 50 from the population at large who were vaccinated during the term of this study, it is difficult to gauge just how big the impact is. However, there is enough data here to suggest that vaccination within the population as a whole will reduce the burden on hospitals to some degree.
Whether this factor is enough for governments or businesses to seek to compel vaccination is a matter for debate. I regard vaccination as a matter of individual assessment and judgement.