A new COVID-19 variant called Deltacron has been detected in some countries including France, the Netherlands the United States and Denmark, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Although there are still a small number of the new variant but there are concerns it may spread in the coming days as international travels resurge.
In Nigeria, as of Monday, there are 254,945 confirmed cases, out of which 2,468 are active cases whime 3,142 deaths have been recorded.
Here are five things to know about the new variant of the virus.
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1. It is unofficially dubbed “Deltacron” because it’s a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants.
2. At least 41 patients have been identified with Deltacron in the US and Europe since the variant was first detected in January. A case of Deltacron has also been found in northern France, Denmark and the Netherlands.
3. Analysis of the strain’s genetic code shows that the “backbone” of the variant is derived from Delta, while the spike protein – the part of the virus that attaches itself to human cells – originates from the Omicron variant.
4. While the hybrid variant has shown it can spread between people, experts and health authorities have insisted it is not growing at concerning rate and is unlikely to replace Omicron.
5. Very little is known about the new variant, including how infectious or severe it may be, according to the UK’s Health Security Agency. Some of the symptoms to look out for include: high temperature, new continuous cough, loss or change to your sense of smell or taste, runny or congested nose, feeling fatigued, headache, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches, sore throat, nausea or vomiting and diarrhoea.
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