A new variant of the coronavirus has emerged in Cyprus, combining two variants, Delta and Olmikeron

Scientists in Cyprus have discovered a new strain of deltacron in 25 patients, which combines Delta and Omicron variants. Scientists have sent their findings to GISAID, an international database that tracks the virus.

Leonidos Kostrikis, a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus, reportedly said the newly discovered strain had a genetic structure similar to that of Omicron, along with Delta's genome. So far, his team has identified 25 cases of hybrid variants, but it's too early to assess their impact.

It is reported that among these confirmed cases, 11 are patients infected with the new crown virus who have been hospitalized, and 14 cases are ordinary people. The team has sent their findings to GISAID, an international database that tracks the virus.

Professor Costrix said: "We will see in the future whether this strain is more pathological or more contagious, or whether it will be endemic. ”

The research team said that infections with the new coronavirus usually involve only one variant, but in extremely rare cases, two variants may occur at the same time. If these viruses infect the same cell, they may exchange DNA and combine into a new version of the virus.

Last month, the boss of Moderna warned that he feared a hybrid mutant would be worse than the mutant currently sweeping the globe.

Dr. Paul Burton, chief medical officer of vaccine manufacturer Moderna.

Dr. Paul Burton, the vaccine manufacturer's chief medical officer, warns that the abundance of Delta and Omicron makes such a combination very likely.

He told lawmakers on the Science and Technology Commission that they "rightfully" had the potential to exchange genes and trigger more dangerous variants.

The researchers say these events, scientifically known as "recombination events," are possible, but they require the coincidence of specific conditions and mostly uncontrollable conditions.

It is reported that only three strains of the new crown virus created by the exchange of genes of the virus have been recorded, and the virus mostly relies on random mutations to make more variants. In the two months that the Delta strain outperformed Alpha by this method, no new variants were triggered.

In one case, a restructuring event occurred in the UK at the end of January 2021 when the Alpha variant merged with B.1.177, which first appeared in Spain. It resulted in 44 cases and then eventually disappeared.

Scientists in California say they discovered another recombinant variant last February, the Kent strain, merged with B.1.429, first found in the region. This new strain also caused very few cases and quickly disappeared.

It is reported that the new crown virus strain mainly relies on random mutations to develop new variants, which occur when the virus replicates itself, and errors appear in its genes.

In most cases, these changes are harmless, but occasionally they trigger an advantage, leading to easier transmission or better evasion of vaccines.

For example, the Omicron variant is often thought to have emerged in a persistent infection in an immunocompromised person, which allows the virus to mutate multiple times to train itself to better infect humans and evade previous immunity.

Text/Nandu reporter Chen Lin