New COVID-19 Strain “Deltacron” Combines Delta & Omicron

A new COVID-19 variant, “deltacron,” has been found that has the potential to be more vicious than all the others, though it’s too early to know for sure.

Researchers at the University of Cyprus have uncovered 25 cases of a strain with genetic features of the delta and omicron variants. Their studies show that deltacron is more often found in hospitalized COVID-19 patients than those who have the virus but are not hospitalized.

The scientists forwarded their findings to the international virus tracking database, GISAID. However, this variant is relatively new, and additional research is now underway to understand its impact.

Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, offered a glimmer of hope, stating that he does not believe deltacron to be a severe threat. He believes that the quickly moving omicron will overtake it.

While news of a recent strain is unsettling, it is not unexpected. Moderna’s chief medical officer, Paul Burton, informed the United Kingdom’s House of Commons in December that the coexistence of delta and omicron and trading genes heightened the chances of a new variant. According to Burton, these recombinations could result in the virus being altered in “dangerous ways.”