New COVID-19 variant Deltacron emerges in Cyprus; All you need to know

As the Omicron and Delta weren’t already enough, researchers in Cyprus have discovered a new variant of the virus called Deltron. The Deltracron variant was initially discovered by Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology, alongside his team.

 

The new strain of COVID-19, which has been dubbed the Deltracron variant, has traits of both Delta and Omicron variants of the virus. As the reports of the Deltracron variant emerged, many people assumed that the new variant would have the worst characteristics of the previously detected variants- the high transmissibility of Omicron teamed with the severe symptoms of Delta.

 

In a TV interview, Kostrikis had said, “There are currently Delta and Omicron co-infections and we found this strain which is a combination of the two.” The professor had said that 25 cases of the newly-detected COVID-19 strain were examined by his team, out of which 11 were hospitilised.

 

 

 

The discovery was named "deltacron" due to the identification of omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes, he said. As per reports, Leondios Kostrikis and his team have, so far, identified 25 cases of ‘Deltacron’ in Cyprus. Its statistical analysis highlights that the relative frequency of combined infection is higher among patients hospitalized due to Covid-19 as compared to non-hospitalized patients.

 

The researchers sent their findings to GISAID, the international database that tracks viruses, on January 7. It is important to note that ‘Deltacron’ has not been recognised or designated by any international health authority as of now.