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Ground Report | New Delhi: What is Deltacron Covid strain; The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed this Wednesday the existence of the Deltacron variant, the combination of the mutant strains of the coronavirus (COVID 19) Delta and Ómicron.
"We are aware of this recombination. It is a combination of Delta AY.4 and Omicron BA.1. It has been detected in France, the Netherlands and Denmark, but at very low levels ," said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, an epidemiologist from Geneva. leader of the health institution. "This recombination was to be expected," she continued.
First found in Cyprus last January by Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the local University and head of the Biotechnology and Molecular Virology Laboratory, the term Deltatron responds to the identification of Ómicron-like genetic signatures within Delta genomes. "Currently there are coinfections of Omicron and Delta and we found this strain that is a combination of these two," he explained.
What is Deltacron Covid strain
The symptoms of the Deltacron variant, the new hybrid of the Ómicron and Delta variants, could be the symptoms experienced in the first mutation, such as a runny nose, cough, and fatigue. Although there is still no clear explanation of the symptoms, the WHO recommended extreme preventive measures when symptoms such as sore throat, cough, weakness, runny nose, loss of taste and smell are experienced.
Two other unrelated Deltacron infections have been identified in the US, according to a report published on medRxiv by the genetic research company Helix. On virus research bulletin boards, other teams reported 12 additional Deltacron infections in Europe since January, with all samples showing an Omicron spike and a Delta body.
Genetic recombinations of coronaviruses are known to occur when two variants infect the same host cell. "During the Sars-CoV-2 pandemic, two or more variants have circulated simultaneously over the same time periods and in the same geographic areas… creating opportunities for recombination between these two variants," Dr. Colson said.
He added that his team has designed a PCR test that "can quickly give samples positive for the presence of this… virus."
How do we get the variants of COVID-19?
Viruses like the SARS-CoV-2 strain that causes COVID-19 can change and mutate. For example, the mutations that caused the delta variant resulted in a variant that made people contagious earlier. The omicron variant itself was more contagious and was found to re-infect some who had previously had COVID-19.
"Unfortunately, we expect to see recombinants because this is what viruses do, they change over time," Van Kerkhove said. “We are seeing a very intense level of circulation. We are seeing this virus infect animals, with the possibility of infecting humans again. So again, the pandemic is far from over.”
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