As the world went through the Delta and Omicron variants of COVID-19, speculation and worry was always in the back of scientists and the public’s minds about the possible merging of the two. Fortunately in the past, “Deltacron” never quite took off, but this fate may be on our horizon now:
“A researcher in Cyprus identified a COVID-19 variant that had features of both the deadly Delta and the highly transmissible, immune-evasive Omicron variants. “Deltacron,” as the new variant became known, was a bit of a “frankenvirus” that combined the two strains.
Deltacron failed to take off, and it soon disappeared. A second Delta-Omicron hybrid later arose then also subsided.
But the phenomenon that caused it is likely to come into play this fall. Scientists expect a sizable wave of COVID cases October through January, fueled by multiple Omicron spinoffs that look increasingly alike—both to each other and to older versions of the scourge.
They’re expected to be the most immune-evasive, transmissible versions of the virus yet. Their similarity could be a blessing or curse: It could make them easier to fight—or harder to control.”
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