‘Delta is very unusual’: Young people warned the variant may pose greater risks We’re sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss Normal text size Advertisement Infectious disease experts are concerned about worrying signs that younger people appear to be at more risk of becoming seriously ill and hospitalised if they are infected with the Delta variant. However, uncertainty remains among the science community about whether the COVID-19 variant is causing more severe disease in the young or simply infecting all unvaccinated age groups at a faster rate than its predecessors. Professor Tony Cunningham, an infectious diseases physician with the Westmead Institute for Medical Research, is concerned by the growing number of people under 40 becoming very ill with the Delta strain.