March 14, 2022 – Reuters reports that hybrid versions of the coronaviurs that combine genes from the Delta and Omicron variants have been identified in at least 17 patients in the U.S. and Europe.
Because there have been so few cases, experts say it is too early to know whether “Deltacron” infections will be highly contagious or cause severe illness. Philippe Colson of IHU Mediterranne Infection in Marseille, France wrote an initial report on the Deltacron patients.
Reuters says that “His team described three patients in France infected with a version of SARS-CoV-2 that combines the spike protein from an Omicron variant with the ‘body’ of a Delta variant.” Additionally, two unrelated Deltacron infections have been identified in the U.S. by an unpublished report by Helix, a genetics research company.
Colson said, “During the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, two or more variants have co-circulated during same periods of time and in same geographical areas… This created opportunities for recombination between these two variants.” He also said that his team has designed a PRC test that “can quickly test positive samples for the presence of this virus.”