'Deltacron': Cyprus identifies new COVID mutation that combines Omicron and Delta variants

Health researchers in Cyprus on Saturday identified a new strain of the COVID-19 virus that combines at least 10 mutations of the Delta and Omicron variants. The new variant dubbed as 'Deltacron' was detected in patients hospitalised for Coronavirus, a professor who was part of the team that discovered the virus told Bloomberg. The team of biological sciences experts at the University of Cyprus informed that 'Deltacron' has Omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes.

Speaking to Bloomberg, Professor Leondios Kostrikis, head of Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology, University of Cyprus revealed that his team discovered 25 instances of the virus, adding that it is too early to say whether more such cases or impact of the existing cases are left behind. 11 out of the 25 cases were reported from hospitalised patients, while the other 14 were reportedly identified in the general public, Cyprus Mail reported. The samples of the new strain have currently been sent to GISAID, a German-based international database that tracks COVID-19-related developments.

"We will see in the future if the strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail," Prof. Kostrikis told Sigma TV on Friday.

Prof Kostrikis believes that "quite possibly" the new strain of the virus, which has not been reported from any other part of the world, could be less dominant than the Omicron variant. "There are currently Omicron and Delta co-infections and we found this strain with a combination of two," Prof. Kostrikis theorized while speaking to Bloomberg.

'Not something to worry at the moment': Cyprus Health Minister

As the news of 'Deltacron' made headlines on Saturday, Cyprus Minister of Health z Michalis Hadjipandelas assured that the new variant was "not something to worry about at the moment." He also lauded the team of Prof. Kostrikis for their "groundbreaking research and findings." Nevertheless, the scientific name of the variant has not been announced yet, Hadjipandelas told Cyprus Mail, adding that more information on the variant will be announced in a press conference scheduled for the beginning of the coming week.

This comes after France last week announced the detection of a new variant known as IHU. However, scientists have confirmed that IHU does not seem to be a cause of concern. Meanwhile, compounded infections from Delta and Omicron variants have swept the world again and overwhelmed health sectors across US and UK. On 8 January 146,390 new cases and 313 deaths in 28 days of a positive test were reported in the UK, said UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). On the other hand, rates of COVID19 cases have also remained high in many parts of the U.S. The 7-day average of daily new cases is 586,391, an 85.7% increase from the previous week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported.

(Image: Unsplash (representative)