Yet another coronavirus variant detected in Cyprus: All about Deltracon

With concerns rising around the world due to the rapidly spreading Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19, strict measures have been put in place to ensure public health and safety. However, yet another new variant has been added to the ever-increasing stream of coronavirus strains. Identified in Cyprus, doctors and researchers have named it Deltacron. It was first discovered in patients admitted to several hospitals across the Middle Eastern country who tested positive for COVID-19. Till now, 25 such cases have been reported. Read on to find out more about Deltacron, and what makes it different from its predecessors. 

What is the Deltacron variant? 

According to Leondios Kostrikis, professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, the new coronavirus variant identified in Cyprus is a combination of the recent strain Omicron and its predecessor, Delta. Hospitals in the country identified Omicron-like signatures within the Delta genomes. Essentially, this new strain has a similar genetic background to Delta, mixed with around 10 Omicron mutations. The name Deltacron was assigned to it as it reflects this combination. The scientific name of this new variant has still not been announced. According to several studies, the recent co-existence of the two variants as mentioned above has increased the risk of the emergence of newer variants due to the trading of genes between them. Another example of this is the IHU variant that was recently discovered in France.  

How far has Deltacron spread? 

So far, cases of Deltacron have only been identified in Cyprus. The country’s Health Minister Michalis Hadjipandelas urged his nation to not be alarmed about the situation. Out of the 25 cases of the new strain reported, 11 were from those hospitalised due to the virus. The remaining 14 were identified in the general population. The data related to these cases has already been forwarded to GISAID, which is an open access database which tracks the emerging developments in the virus.  

Is the Deltacron variant a cause for concern? 

Naturally, the new variant was a buzz topic on social media with hundreds of users expressing their concerns. However, several experts have said that there is a possibility that Deltacron might not actually be a real variant. Instead, it might be the consequence of the contamination of the previous strains. Another similar variant, Delmicron which combined Delta and Omicron, was also recently reported across Europe and the US. Many in the medical field are refuting the plausibility of such double variants, and are referring to them as “scariants.” It is important to note that neither of these variants has been officially recognised by WHO.