New coronavirus variant 'Deltacron' emerges in Cyprus; experts say 'not something to be worried about'
2 years, 11 months ago

New coronavirus variant 'Deltacron' emerges in Cyprus; experts say 'not something to be worried about'

India TV News  

A new coronavirus variant Deltacron has emerged in Cyprus which has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, as well as some of the mutations from Omicron and experts say that it is not something to be worried about at the moment, a media report said. Dr. Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular virology at the University of Cyprus, said that the frequency of the mutation among hospitalized patients was higher and could point to a correlation between the new variant and hospitalizations. Kostrikis also emphasized that the variant has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, as well as some of the mutations from Omicron. The new variant was not something to worry about at the moment, said Cyprus's Health Minister Michalis Hadjipandelas on Saturday.

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History of this topic

Is it Omicron or Delta? CoVarScan, the new COVID-19 test, that detects all variants within hours
2 years, 5 months ago

Is it Omicron or Delta? CoVarScan, the new COVID-19 test, that detects all variants within hours

Firstpost  

CoVarScan, devised at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in US, displayed a 96 per cent sensitivity and 99 per cent specificity in the testing phase The world is still in the grips of the coronavirus pandemic and since its outbreak in early 2020, the virus has mutated several times over, causing a surge in cases. As the fight …

Explainer: What is the COVID Deltacron variant and how dangerous is it?
2 years, 8 months ago

Explainer: What is the COVID Deltacron variant and how dangerous is it?

Firstpost  

Even as COVID restrictions are eased the world over, there is a lurking fear of a new variant going by the name of ‘Deltacron’, which has characteristics of both Delta and Omicron Even as COVID restrictions are eased the world over, there is a lurking fear of a new variant going by the name of ‘Deltacron’, which has characteristics of …

Scientists Worry Virus Variant May Push Up COVID Cases In US
2 years, 9 months ago

Scientists Worry Virus Variant May Push Up COVID Cases In US

Huff Post  

FILE - Fans storm the court at the conclusion of a college basketball game in Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, March 6, 2022. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that he also thinks the U.S. will likely face an “uptick” similar to what’s happening in Europe, particularly the United Kingdom, …

Scientists worry virus variant may push up COVID cases in US
2 years, 9 months ago

Scientists worry virus variant may push up COVID cases in US

Associated Press  

With coronavirus cases rising in parts of Europe and Asia, scientists worry that an extra-contagious version of the omicron variant may soon push cases up in the United States too. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious disease expert, told ABC’s “This Week” over the weekend that he also thinks the U.S. will likely face an “uptick” similar to …

Cases of 'Deltacron' Covid Variant Found in UK Samples, Says Health Agency; Nation Monitoring Strain
2 years, 10 months ago

Cases of 'Deltacron' Covid Variant Found in UK Samples, Says Health Agency; Nation Monitoring Strain

News 18  

Cases of a possible ‘hybrid’ variant of Delta and Omicron, called the ‘Deltacron’ have emerged in samples in the United Kingdom, the country’s health agency said. The UKHSA said Deltacron possesses characteristics of both the Delta and Omicron strains, and is being monitored following the discovery of the cases. However, his discovery was met with widespread skepticism, with many leading …

Is Omicron endgame of Covid? WHO chief warns of future variants
2 years, 11 months ago

Is Omicron endgame of Covid? WHO chief warns of future variants

Live Mint  

World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Monday said that it would be dangerous to assume that the highly transmissable Omicron was the last variant to emerge and that the world was in the 'end game' of the pandemic. By the end of 2021, a doctor in South Africa confirmed the detection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant that …

‘Deltacron’: Should we worry about new COVID-19 variants merging?
2 years, 11 months ago

‘Deltacron’: Should we worry about new COVID-19 variants merging?

Al Jazeera  

Experts say two variants can cross over to form a recombinant version of both variants. According to Dr Kostrikis, the variant contained Omicron-like genetic signatures within Delta genomes – hence the name “Deltacron”. The World Health Organization’s COVID-19 expert, Dr Krutika Kuppalli, explained on Twitter that there was no such thing as “Deltacron” and that this was likely a “lab …

EXPLAINED: New Variant, Or Lab Error? What You Need To Know About 'Deltacron'
2 years, 11 months ago

EXPLAINED: New Variant, Or Lab Error? What You Need To Know About 'Deltacron'

News 18  

A group of 25 Covid-19 patients in the tiny Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus are said to have been infected by a strain of the novel coronavirus that combines features of its Delta and Omicron variants. But some experts have sought to soothe nerves by pointing out that “deltacron” — as the variant is termed — may really be nothing …

Covid-19: Chinese city tests 14 million people
2 years, 11 months ago

Covid-19: Chinese city tests 14 million people

Hindustan Times  

Tianjin, a port city of 14 million near China’s capital Beijing, began mass testing on Sunday after a cluster of 20 adults and children tested positive for Covid-19 including at least two with the highly transmissible Omicron variant. With less than a month left for the Winter Olympics, the discovery of a potential Omicron cluster near Beijing would have sent …

New coronavirus variant \'Deltacron\' emerges in Cyprus
2 years, 11 months ago

New coronavirus variant \'Deltacron\' emerges in Cyprus

Deccan Chronicle  

Nicosia: A new coronavirus variant Deltacron has emerged in Cyprus which has a similar genetic background to the Delta variant, as well as some of the mutations from Omicron, and experts say that it is not something to be worried about at the moment, a media report said. Dr. Leondios Kostrikis, the head of the laboratory of biotechnology and molecular …

New Covid-19 variant ‘IHU’ discovered in France, has more mutations than Omicron
2 years, 11 months ago

New Covid-19 variant ‘IHU’ discovered in France, has more mutations than Omicron

Hindustan Times  

Scientists in France have identified a new strain of coronavirus with more mutations than the Omicron variant. The emergence of the new variant, which probably originated in Cameroon, as per the study, harbours both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein. "The mutation set and phylogenetic position of the genomes obtained here indicate based on our previous definition a …

Omicron variant responsible for 91% of Amsterdam coronavirus infections
2 years, 11 months ago

Omicron variant responsible for 91% of Amsterdam coronavirus infections

NL Times  

An analysis of a random sample of positive coronavirus test swabs showed that nearly 91 percent of infections in the greater Amsterdam area were caused by the newer, highly contagious Omicron variant. The variant has been responsible for a majority of infections in the Amsterdam area since at least December 22, and became dominant in the Netherlands about a week …

Indonesia records first Omicron community case
2 years, 11 months ago

Indonesia records first Omicron community case

Al Jazeera  

Health authorities say mobility restrictions will be increased, especially during the festive season. Indonesian health authorities have begun conducting contact tracing after detecting the country’s first locally transmitted case of the fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant. The person infected is a 37-year-old male from the city of Medan who had visited a restaurant in the central business district of the capital, …

Omicron spreading faster but Delta is still the dominant variant
3 years ago

Omicron spreading faster but Delta is still the dominant variant

India Today  

Record spikes in Europe, the US and elsewhere have coincided with the advent of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus. For example, the UK reported its highest single-day Covid-19 caseload this week but the segregation of Delta and Omicron cases is not clearly known. "The recent declines in the proportion of Delta variant reported by some countries may reflect …

What you need to know about Omicron today
3 years ago

What you need to know about Omicron today

India Today  

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday urged the Centre to allow for booster dosage for people in Delhi who have taken both shots of Covid-19 vaccines. Raising alarms over the Omicron variant, the chief minister said that 99 per cent of people in Delhi have been inoculated with at least a single dose of the vaccine as the national …

‘No evidence’ Omicron milder than Delta, British researchers say
3 years ago

‘No evidence’ Omicron milder than Delta, British researchers say

Al Jazeera  

Imperial College London study also finds Omicron five times more likely to cause reinfections, but some experts say there are still not sufficient data to draw conclusions. British researchers say they have found “no evidence” that the Omicron coronavirus variant is milder than Delta, casting doubt on the cautious optimism of some experts that the new strain may not be …

US faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances
3 years ago

US faces a double coronavirus surge as omicron advances

Associated Press  

The new omicron coronavirus mutant speeding around the world may bring another wave of chaos, threatening to further stretch hospital workers already struggling with a surge of delta cases and upend holiday plans for the second year in a row. And on top of that, we’re going to add an omicron surge,” said Dr. Jacob Lemieux, who monitors variants for …

Omicron to be dominant variant by mid-January in Europe: European Commission chief
3 years ago

Omicron to be dominant variant by mid-January in Europe: European Commission chief

India TV News  

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that omicron is expected to be the dominant coronavirus variant in the 27-nation bloc by mid-January. Von der Leyen said she is confident the EU has the “strength” and “means” to overcome the disease, although expressing her disappointment that once again year-end celebrations will be disturbed by the pandemic. Von der …

Tale of two Covid variants: What makes Omicron more infectious than Delta
3 years ago

Tale of two Covid variants: What makes Omicron more infectious than Delta

India Today  

Omicron, the new variant of coronavirus, is said to be more infectious than others, including the feared Delta strain. Dr Christopher JL Murray, director and lead modeler of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, said, “This is going to be very important in places with high levels of past infection India, for example, with …

Omicron variant cases identified in at least 12 states but Delta still dominates
3 years ago

Omicron variant cases identified in at least 12 states but Delta still dominates

CNN  

CNN — Whileat least 12 states have identified cases of the Omicron coronavairus variant, US health officials remain concerned about the Delta version that accounts for practically all new infections. “And those are very likely to work against the Omicron variant.” Omicron may be more transmissible than Delta The first confirmed Omicron case in the US was identified in California …

Mysteries of omicron variant could take weeks to untangle
3 years ago

Mysteries of omicron variant could take weeks to untangle

Associated Press  

A pandemic-weary world faces weeks of confusing uncertainty as countries restrict travel and take other steps to halt the newest potentially risky coronavirus mutant before anyone knows just how dangerous omicron really is. Omicron might not turn out “as bad as we’re perhaps imagining it could be but treating it as such at the moment I think is entirely appropriate,” …

California confirms nation’s first Omicron variant coronavirus case
3 years ago

California confirms nation’s first Omicron variant coronavirus case

LA Times  

As expected, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, first detected in southern Africa, has reached the U.S., with the first case found in California. The first U.S. case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus has been confirmed in San Francisco, putting California at the center of the nation’s pandemic response once again. “The person recently traveled to South Africa …

US reports first case of Omicron variant in South Africa returnee
3 years ago

US reports first case of Omicron variant in South Africa returnee

India Today  

The US recorded its first confirmed case of the omicron variant Wednesday — in a vaccinated traveler who returned to California after a trip to South Africa — as scientists around the world race to establish whether the new, mutant version of the coronavirus is more dangerous than previous ones. At least 23 other countries have reported omicron infections since …

Map: Tracking the Omicron variant
3 years ago

Map: Tracking the Omicron variant

Al Jazeera  

The highly transmissible new variant has been detected in dozens of countries and territories, raising concerns about the spread of COVID-19. The Omicron coronavirus variant, first detected in November 2021, has now been detected in at least 128 countries and territories worldwide. A World Health Organization or WHO official told reporters on Tuesday that there is now a “decoupling between …

The first cases of the Omicron variant identified around the world
3 years ago

The first cases of the Omicron variant identified around the world

CNN  

London CNN — Editor’s note: The Omicron coronavirus variant has now been identified in dozens of countries globally and this story will no longer be updated. Follow the latest updates on the spread of the variant here Nations around the world are racing to identify how many cases of the Omicron variant they have, as fears over the new strain …

Omicron coronavirus variant raises questions among scientists
3 years ago

Omicron coronavirus variant raises questions among scientists

Live Mint  

The fast-spreading Omicron coronavirus variant recently identified in South Africa has virologists and health authorities on edge because of its many mutations, but much about its infectiousness and virulence remains unknown. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday that Omicron hadn’t been identified in the U.S. “The U.S. variant surveillance system has reliably detected new variants in this …

UK, Germany, Italy confirm cases of Omicron coronavirus variant
3 years ago

UK, Germany, Italy confirm cases of Omicron coronavirus variant

Al Jazeera  

Countries impose bans on travellers from southern Africa against the advice of the World Health Organization. On Monday, the CDC had lowered its COVID-19 travel advisory for South Africa to “Level 1: Low.” 27 Nov 2021 - 17:44 GMT Germany confirms first two cases of Omicron Two cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in the southern German state …

WHO names transmissible new COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’
3 years ago

WHO names transmissible new COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’

Associated Press  

GENEVA — An advisory panel of the World Health Organization on Friday classified a worrying new COVID-19 variant first detected in South Africa as a highly transmissible virus of concern, naming it “Omicron” under its Greek letter system. The U.N. health agency also said early evidence on the variant, until now known by the technical term B.1.1.529, has shown an …

WHO names new COVID-19 variant Omicron, designates it a ‘variant of concern’
3 years ago

WHO names new COVID-19 variant Omicron, designates it a ‘variant of concern’

The Hindu  

The World Health Organization on November 26 declared the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, first detected in southern Africa, to be a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron. the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern, named Omicron,” the U.N. health agency said in a statement. “This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which …

New Delta coronavirus subvariant AY.4.2: What we know so far
3 years, 1 month ago

New Delta coronavirus subvariant AY.4.2: What we know so far

Al Jazeera  

Experts are tracking a new mutation of the Delta variant of the coronavirus reported in dozens of countries. A subvariant of the Delta variant of the virus labelled AY.4.2 has been detected in dozens of countries, with the vast majority of cases being reported in the United Kingdom. The UK’s Health Security Agency last week labelled AY.4.2 as a “variant …

More contagious offshoot of Delta coronavirus variant found in UK. What is it?
3 years, 2 months ago

More contagious offshoot of Delta coronavirus variant found in UK. What is it?

India Today  

In a reminder that the Covid-19 pandemic is not over yet, scientists are closely monitoring a new mutation of the Delta variant, named AY.4.2. The new variant, which scientists say may be more transmissible than the Delta strain, has been declared as a "Variant Under Investigation " in the UK. “The designation was made on the basis that this sub-lineage …

New Mutation of Delta Variant AY.4.2 in India– What To Know
3 years, 2 months ago

New Mutation of Delta Variant AY.4.2 in India– What To Know

The Quint  

A new sublineage of the Delta variant of coronavirus, called AY.4.2, has been detected in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra in India, according to a report released by the National Centre of Disease Control. The variant was declared a "variant under investigation" by scientists in the UK last week, which they say is responsible for a growing proportion of COVID-19 cases, …

Delta variant doubles COVID hospital risk: Study
3 years, 3 months ago

Delta variant doubles COVID hospital risk: Study

Al Jazeera  

A British study suggests people who get COVID-19 from the Delta variant are about twice as likely to be hospitalised compared with the Alpha variant. The Delta variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 doubles the risk of hospitalisation compared with the Alpha variant it has supplanted as the dominant strain worldwide, researchers reported in The Lancet on Saturday. “We …

Curbing Delta: The Hindu Editorial on the variant that drives India’s COVID-19 infections
3 years, 4 months ago

Curbing Delta: The Hindu Editorial on the variant that drives India’s COVID-19 infections

The Hindu  

The overall number of coronavirus cases in India is on a downward trajectory though around 35,000 cases continue to be added almost daily. A weekly update from the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium, a repository of labs tasked with monitoring variants of the coronavirus, says that the Delta variant remains most responsible for the continuing spread of infections in India. The …

CDC document paints more dire picture of threat posed by Delta variant
3 years, 4 months ago

CDC document paints more dire picture of threat posed by Delta variant

LA Times  

Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, adjusts her face mask during a Senate hearing on the federal coronavirus response. A confidential document prepared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the highly transmissible Delta variant argues that even people who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will need to take more aggressive steps …

Delta now dominant Covid variant in most of Europe, warn WHO and ECDC
3 years, 4 months ago

Delta now dominant Covid variant in most of Europe, warn WHO and ECDC

India Today  

Delta is now the dominant variant of Covid-19 in most of Europe, the World Health Organisation warned on Monday. According to the WHO's Regional Office for Europe, surveillance data from the period between June 28 and July 11 shows that Delta was the dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2 in at least 19 of the 28 European countries that reported sufficient genetic …

Indonesia: Raging pandemic offers fertile ground for new variants
3 years, 5 months ago

Indonesia: Raging pandemic offers fertile ground for new variants

Al Jazeera  

The speed and scale of the coronavirus outbreak in Indonesia has created a perfect breeding ground for a potential new super-strain that could be even more contagious and deadly than the Delta variant, infectious disease experts from around the world are warning. “New variants always appear in regions or countries that cannot control outbreaks,” said Dicky Budiman, an Indonesian epidemiologist …

Map: Tracking the Delta variant
3 years, 5 months ago

Map: Tracking the Delta variant

Al Jazeera  

The Delta variant of the new coronavirus, first identified in India, has now been detected in more than 100 countries. The Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 has now been detected in more than 100 countries and in the coming months, it is expected to become the dominant strain globally, spreading quickly in countries with both low and high vaccination coverage, according …

From Alpha, Beta, Gamma to Delta: What we know of coronavirus mutations so far
3 years, 5 months ago

From Alpha, Beta, Gamma to Delta: What we know of coronavirus mutations so far

Live Mint  

Viruses mutate all the time, including the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that’s caused the Covid-19 pandemic. University of Florida researchers found that for the Covid vaccines being rolled out on a global scale, the alpha strain led to “somewhat reduced” efficacy compared with the wild strain, while the beta and gamma variants led to considerably lower efficacy, they said in a paper …

Delta variant rapidly advancing in Netherlands; Possibly caused 50% of infections
3 years, 5 months ago

Delta variant rapidly advancing in Netherlands; Possibly caused 50% of infections

NL Times  

The Delta variant of the coronavirus has likely caused about half of new coronavirus infections in the Netherlands, public health agency RIVM said on Friday in an update on germ surveillance, according to broadcaster NOS. Germ surveillance data released by the agency Friday afternoon showed that the variant was found in 17 percent of the 348 samples analyzed during the …

Delta variant to become dominant strain of Covid-19 in coming months: WHO
3 years, 5 months ago

Delta variant to become dominant strain of Covid-19 in coming months: WHO

India TV News  

The World Health Organisation has said the Delta variant of Covid-19 is now present in nearly 100 countries as per conservative estimates, and warned that in the coming months the highly transmissible strain will become the dominant variant of the coronavirus globally. In its Covid-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update, the WHO said as of June 29, 2021, "96 countries have reported …

COVID-19 Delta variant detected in 96 countries: WHO
3 years, 5 months ago

COVID-19 Delta variant detected in 96 countries: WHO

China Daily  

A woman receives a nasal swab, from a health worker wearing personal protective equipment, to be tested for COVID-19 at the Fourways Life Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa on June 28, 2021. GENEVA -- The Delta COVID-19 variant, first identified in India, has already been detected in 96 countries, 11 more than last week, the World Health Organization said in …

The new ‘Delta-plus’ coronavirus variant has been identified. What does that mean?
3 years, 5 months ago

The new ‘Delta-plus’ coronavirus variant has been identified. What does that mean?

LA Times  

A person who died of COVID-19 is buried in Gauhati, India. “It sounds like just another variant that’s no better, no worse, than the regular Delta variant, and it’s a little unclear why everybody’s pushing on it,” said Dr. George Rutherford, a UC San Francisco epidemiologist. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government’s top infectious-disease expert, called the strain “currently the …

Covid-19 delta variant: What we know about the virus
3 years, 6 months ago

Covid-19 delta variant: What we know about the virus

Live Mint  

Delta variant is a version of the coronavirus that has been found in more than 80 countries since it was first detected in India. Experts say the delta variant spreads more easily because of mutations that make it better at latching onto cells in our bodies. It's not clear yet whether the variant makes people sicker since more data needs …

Delta variant now reported in 85 countries, expected to become dominant: WHO
3 years, 6 months ago

Delta variant now reported in 85 countries, expected to become dominant: WHO

Live Mint  

The Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible strain of COVID-19, is expected to become a “dominant lineage” if current trends continue, the WHO has warned after it was reported in 85 countries and continues to be detected in more places around the world. “Delta, now reported in 85 countries globally, continues to be reported in new countries across all WHO …

Delta Variant Now Reported in 85 Countries Globally, Expected to Become Dominant Lineage: WHO
3 years, 6 months ago

Delta Variant Now Reported in 85 Countries Globally, Expected to Become Dominant Lineage: WHO

News 18  

The Delta variant, the significantly more transmissible strain of COVID-19, is expected to become a dominant lineage if current trends continue, the WHO has warned after it was reported in 85 countries and continues to be detected in more places around the world. The update said that India reported the highest numbers of new COVID19 cases, 441,976 over the past …

Delta variant, first found in India, 'greatest threat' to US' COVID-19 efforts, says Dr Anthony Fauci
3 years, 6 months ago

Delta variant, first found in India, 'greatest threat' to US' COVID-19 efforts, says Dr Anthony Fauci

Firstpost  

The transmissibility of Delta variant is unquestionably greater than the wild type SARS-CoV2 as well as the Alpha variant, the US CDC chief added Washington: The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the “greatest threat” to America’s attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned. Speaking at a White House …

Delta variant 'greatest threat' to America's Covid-19 efforts: Dr Fauci
3 years, 6 months ago

Delta variant 'greatest threat' to America's Covid-19 efforts: Dr Fauci

India TV News  

The highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus is the "greatest threat" to America’s attempt to eradicate the COVID-19 pandemic, White House Chief Medical Advisor Dr Anthony Fauci has warned. "Similar to the situation in the UK, the Delta variant is currently the greatest threat in the US to our attempt to eliminate COVID-19,” Fauci told reporters during a virtual …

Delta variant could account for 90% new Covid cases in Europe by August-end
3 years, 6 months ago

Delta variant could account for 90% new Covid cases in Europe by August-end

India Today  

The Delta variant, identified for the first time in India, could account for 90 percent of new Covid cases in the European Union in the coming months, the bloc's disease control agency said Wednesday. "The Delta variant is more transmissible than other circulating variants and we estimate that by the end of August it will represent 90 percent" of new …

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