Deltacron

A new COVID-19 variant -- unofficially dubbed “Deltacron” because it's a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants -- has been detected in a small ...

Variants of concern are identified with a Greek letter, like Delta or Omicron. "We're seeing a very intense level of circulation. "We have not seen any change in the epidemiology with this recombinant.

In recent days, scientists have reported that a hybrid of the Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants has been popping up in several countries in Europe.

They give recombinant viruses a two-letter abbreviation starting with X. XA, for example, is a hybrid that arose in December 2020 from a mixture of the Alpha variant and another lineage of coronaviruses called B.1.177. He also criticized the scientists for unleashing lurid nicknames for the recombinant that were immediately picked up in news articles and social media posts claiming that it was a hoax or had been produced in a lab. Dr. Simon-Loriere and other researchers are conducting experiments to see how the new recombinant performs in dishes of cells. That will probably change in the weeks to come. The variant uses it to successfully invade cells in the nose and the upper airway, but it doesn’t do so well deep in the lungs. When that cell starts producing new viruses, the new genetic material may be mixed up, potentially producing a new, hybrid virus. When Dr. Nguyen looked for the same pattern of mutations, he found more possible recombinants in the Netherlands and Denmark. “That led me to suspect that these might be real,” he said in an interview. The spike protein is the most important part of the virus when it comes to invading cells. On March 8, the researchers posted the first genome of the recombinant on GISAID. The gene that encodes the virus’s surface protein — known as spike — comes almost entirely from Omicron. The rest of the genome is Delta. Instead, it looked to Dr. Nguyen as though each virus in the sample actually carried a combination of genes from the two variants. He found samples collected in France in January that researchers had identified as a mix of Delta and Omicron variants.

As the latest coronavirus surge fades, health officials are keeping watch on a new mishmash of the Delta and Omicron variants. Dubbed “Deltacron” by some, ...

But whether to follow that guidance is entirely up to individual Californians. “I know people like to focus on all of the folks who aren’t listening. Although the reductions in daily deaths is encouraging, “it’s still disheartening that we’re continuing to lose so many residents to COVID-19,” Ferrer said. Some studies have suggested that masks have proved to be beneficial in reducing coronavirus transmission in schools. The state is lifting its mask mandate in indoor K-12 and child-care settings Friday night. They will watch gestures, hear changes in tone of voice, see eyes convey emotions, and listen to words.” And, even though the state is no longer requiring public indoor masking, officials do still strongly recommend the practice. Deltacron is distinct from BA.2, a sublineage of Omicron that has gained attention in recent weeks. BA.2 is believed to be 30% more infectious than BA.1, the dominant Omicron subvariant, Ferrer said. A staff member replied that Deltacron was “out there, but we’re still in the, like, handful of cases.” But with such small numbers of Deltacron nationwide, it’s hard to get an answer to that question at this time, Ferrer said. In light of this shift, L.A. County eased its indoor mask requirement last week. But, she added, “it is, to us, a harbinger, that the next one will come.