Scientists are reporting a new Delta and Omicron hybrid variant emerging from several European countries, and has been nicknamed “Deltacron” or “Deltamicron”, according to New York Times.
The hybrid variant contains the genes from both variants, and the Institut Pasteur shared evidence for the variant onto the international database of Covid-19 genomes, GISAID.
The hybrid variant has been found in a few French regions, along with the Netherlands and Denmark, with reports of about 30 cases being found in the UK, as well as cases being detected in the US, according to the UK Health Security Agency via the Guardian.
There is belief that the hybrid variant has been spreading since the start of 2022, according to GISAID.
The Institut Pasteur’s Atienne Simon-Loriere spoke to the Guardian that there could in fact be several forms of the recombinant virus, with the cases reported in the UK and US differing from the ones found in France and Netherlands.
However, Simon-Loriere said that it is not a novel concern and there is no need to panic, because the recombinant variants are not uncommon, and the “Deltacron” isn’t the first, nor will it be the last, recombinant variant.
It has also not displayed the potential to grow exponentially.
Additionally, as the cases are still somewhat rare, there isn’t enough data about the variant’s severity, or how effective will the vaccines perform against it.
He added that the genome of the hybrid suggests that it doesn’t represent a new pandemic phase, and that the surface of the virus looks similar to Omicron, with the rest of the genome being Delta – the human body could still recognise it as Omicron.
First solid evidence for a Delta #Omicron recombinant virus 🦠has been shared by @institutpasteur via @GISAID; Accession: EPI_ISL_10819657 — includes the raw sequencing reads! @WHO @doctorsoumya @RickABright @DrTedros @g20org 🧵
— Jeremy Kamil 🇺🇦 (@macroliter) March 8, 2022