Fears indicated in parts of the world that the COVID-19 pandemic may rage on are becoming real, according to the latest development in Cyprus.
In the Middle Eastern island country, a researcher has discovered a strain that combines delta and omicron.
The Professor of Biological Sciences at the University of Cyprus, Leondios Kostrikis, named it “Deltacron.”
Kostrikis gave the reason as the variant’s omicron-like genetic similarities with the delta genomes, Bloomberg reported.
The don and his team have found 25 cases of the virus, waiting to see what happens in the months ahead.
“We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail”, Kostrikis told Sigma TV.
The announcement of Deltacron came weeks after another new strain, IHU, was detected in France. Cases were reported in areas near the South of Marseille.
The index case was a fully-vaccinated man who returned from a trip to Cameroon, Nigeria’s neighbour, in November 2021.
In late December, the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed hope that the COVID-19 global health crisis would end in 2022.
