Amidst the worry from the rise in cases due to the omicron, a new term, ‘Delmicron’ is going viral. Is it even a thing? Read to know more about it.
What is Delmicron? How dangerous is it?
Some medical experts are using the term Delmicron while referring to the combination of Delta and Omicron variants. “Delmicron, the twin spikes of Delta and Omicron, in Europe and the US has led to a mini tsunami of cases,” stated, Dr. Shashank Joshi. However, it is not a new variant or mutation but a combination of spike proteins from delta and omicron. Nouvelle studies on the omicron reveal that it may be more transmissible and more resistant to existing vaccines.
Additionally, Paul Burton, the chief medical officer for Moderna also said that teaming up of the omicron and delta was “certainly” possible. Together, it has the potential of creating a stronger and more dangerous strain. Another expert said that the two could also swap genes, triggering a highly lethal variant. Such events are known as ‘recombination events’.
Omicron update: Record cases on the Christmas Eve
Omicron, a new COVID-19 variant, is spreading across nations despite its identification. Researchers across the globe indicate that omicron is one of the most worrying variants due to its high transmissibility. It is now spreading at a very high rate across the world and the UK is one of the worst-hit nations along with South Africa, Belgium, and the US. On Christmas Eve, the UK announced record-breaking new cases of 122,186, all fuelled by the new variant. Additionally, France, registering over 94,000 cases hit its highest number since the pandemic began. According to an AFP report, the number of new cases on December 24 increased by about a fifth across the globe this week. Experts believe that the sharp rise in cases is due to the new variant of concern.
