Almost half of patients hospitalised by Delta under 55

A growing number of young people are being hospitalised in NSW by the Delta variant, as experts warn age is no protection against the virulent strain.

More than 40 per cent of people admitted to hospital for Covid treatment in NSW’s Delta outbreak are aged under 55.

The youngest hospitalised patient is only 30 years old, with eight patients in total aged under 35.

The striking figures lay out how younger individuals, including huge swathes of the population waiting to be vaccinated, are at risk of serious illness from the Delta variant.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 37 Covid-19 cases being treated in hospital. The more serious cases include one patient in their early 50s.

Seven people were in ICU, two on ventilators. One of the seven was in their 30s

Experts say younger and younger people are falling seriously ill in the Delta outbreak. Picture: Matrix Media Group

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said it had become clear “younger and younger people” were needing hospitalisation.

“It’s very random,” she said.

“So just because you’re young don’t think your friends or yourself are immune from having to be hospitalised.

“It is a random disease which affects people differently. Yes we know which groups are more vulnerable than others, but we also know it’s random.

“If you have an underlying issue you may not know about or just randomly have a different response to the disease than others do, please know it can really impact you.”

It comes after days of authorities pleading with young people to be honest about their movements when they test positive.

Nurse Samantha Kim giving Beth Geddes from Redfern her COVID-19 vaccination at the Sydney Olympic Park NSW Health vaccination centre. Picture: Jonathan Ng

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant also spoke up this week to remind young people they could be seriously impacted.

Several Sydney schools have been caught up in the most recent Covid outbreak with positive cases at schools in South Coogee and Rose Bay.

The Delta variant is considered to be 50 per cent more infectious than the Alpha variant across all age groups.