A new variant? The name of Deltacron has been given by the researcher who has reported on it, and not by the World Health Organization.
As countries around the world struggle to contain the mass infection caused by the Omicron variant, a new variant containing Delta and Omicron signatures, both known to be highly transmissible variants, is causing many people to worry.
It has been a research team from the University of Cyprus who has identified this new variant of COVID-19 in 25 cases in which the virus has signatures of both the Delta and Omicron variants. Experts say it’s not something to worry about at the moment.
In total, 10 of the Omicron mutations were identified in the 25 samples taken in Cyprus . 11 of the samples came from people who were hospitalized for the virus, while 14 came from the general population, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Deltacron infection is higher among patients hospitalized for Covid-19 than among non-hospitalized patients, so the contamination hypothesis is ruled out. Furthermore, the samples were processed in various sequencing procedures in more than one country. And at least one sequence from Israel deposited in a global database exhibits genetic characteristics of the new variant , according to Leondios Kostrikis, director of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology at the University of Cyprus.
“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail over delta and omicron,” says the expert in an interview with Bloomberg. But his personal opinion is that this strain will also be displaced by the Omicron variant.
Cypriot Health Minister Michael Hadjipantela said on Sunday that the new variant is not a cause for concern and that more details will be given at a news conference this week.
