Doctor from the University of Cyprus says frequency of mutation in hospitalised patients was higher, could point to a correlation between new variant, hospitalisations
Health workers in protective gear await residents
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.
ADVERTISEMENT
In total, 10 of the mutations from Omicron were found in the 25 samples taken in Cyprus. At least 11 of the samples came from people who were hospitalised due to the virus, while 14 came from the general population, reported Jerusalem Post citing Cyprus Mail.
Locals line up to get tested for coronavirus at a temporary testing centre for Covid-19 in Hong Kong on Sunday. Pics/AP
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 hospitalised patients was higher and could point to a correlation between the new variant and hospitalisations.
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. The minister also expressed pride in discovering the new variant. So far, the scientific name of the new variant has not been announced.
Hadjipandelas was quoted as saying. it is “quite possible” that the new strain has not been found elsewhere, and the sequences of the cases have been sent to GISAID, an open access database that tracks developments in the coronavirus, the Cyprus Mail reported. Studies have shown that the co-existence of Delta and Omicron increases the chances of a new variant as a result of them trading genes. In line with this, France recently detected a variant with 46 mutations, and was dubbed as IHU.
China testing all 14 million residents of city
The numbers are small, but the major port of Tianjin may be facing China’s first outbreak of omicron, less than four weeks before Winter Olympics open in nearby Beijing. The city began mass testing of its 14 million residents on Sunday after 20 children and adults tested positive for COVID-19, including two with the omicron variant. Officials said the virus has been circulating so the number of cases could grow.
Residents line up for a coronavirus test during a mass testing of its 14 million citizens in north China’s Tianjin municipality on Sunday. Pic/AP
Omicron 105 per cent more transmissible than Delta, says study by French scientists
The Omicron variant may be 105 per cent more transmissible than Delta, according to a research by French scientists. The study, published on the medRxiv site and yet to be peer-reviewed, analysed 131,478 tests in France from October 25 to December 18, 2021.The team applied statistical models to variant-specific screening tests and full genome sequencing.They compared the number of infections with the Omicron, Alpha and the Delta variants over a 21-day period. he difference in rate of transmissibility in people with Delta and Omicron was approximately 105 per cent.
23,57,007
No. of new cases reported globally in the past 24 hours
29,89,15,721
Total no. of cases worldwide
54,69,303
Total no. of deaths worldwide
Source: WHO/Johns Hopkins
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
