Cyprus lab finds Covid-19 infections that mix up Delta and Omicron
Unclear yet if ‘Deltacron’ is more pathological or more contagious
10 January 2022 - 05:03
byGeorgios Georgiou
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A strain of Covid-19 that combines Delta and Omicron was found in Cyprus, according to Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology.
“There are currently Omicron and Delta coinfections and we found this strain that is a combination of these two,” Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV on Friday. The discovery was named “Deltacron” due to the identification of Omicron-like genetic signatures within the Delta genomes, he said.
Kostrikis and his team have identified 25 such cases and the statistical analysis shows that the frequency of the combined infection is higher among patients hospitalised due to Covid-19 than among nonhospitalised patients. The sequences of the 25 Deltacron cases were sent to Gisaid, the international database that tracks changes in the virus, on January 7.
“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail” over Delta and Omicron, Kostrikis said. But his personal view is that this strain will also be displaced by the contagious Omicron variant.
Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com.
Support our award-winning journalism. The Premium package (digital only) is R30 for the first month and thereafter you pay R129 p/m now ad-free for all subscribers.
Cyprus lab finds Covid-19 infections that mix up Delta and Omicron
Unclear yet if ‘Deltacron’ is more pathological or more contagious
A strain of Covid-19 that combines Delta and Omicron was found in Cyprus, according to Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology.
“There are currently Omicron and Delta coinfections and we found this strain that is a combination of these two,” Kostrikis said in an interview with Sigma TV on Friday. The discovery was named “Deltacron” due to the identification of Omicron-like genetic signatures within the Delta genomes, he said.
Kostrikis and his team have identified 25 such cases and the statistical analysis shows that the frequency of the combined infection is higher among patients hospitalised due to Covid-19 than among nonhospitalised patients. The sequences of the 25 Deltacron cases were sent to Gisaid, the international database that tracks changes in the virus, on January 7.
“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail” over Delta and Omicron, Kostrikis said. But his personal view is that this strain will also be displaced by the contagious Omicron variant.
Bloomberg News. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com.
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