"Delta Chron" variant confirmed for the first time

Science and Technology Daily (Reporter Liu Xia) According to a report by the American Fun Science website on March 11, French scientists have confirmed for the first time through genome sequencing that the new coronavirus "deltacron" variant that has previously attracted a lot of attention does exist.

Researchers at the Institute for Medical and Teaching of Mediterranean Infectious Diseases in Marseille, France, published an article on medRxiv, a preprint site for medical research papers, on March 8 that they confirmed the existence of the new variant through genome sequencing

In addition, data provided by the Global Influenza Sharing Database (GISAID) showed that cases related to "Delta Chron" were also found in Denmark and the Netherlands

The French researchers pointed out that the new hybrid variant "Delta Chron" was produced by recombination

World Health Organization (WHO) chief scientist Dr Sumia Swaminathan tweeted on March 8: "We already know that recombination events can occur in humans or animals when multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants are circulating.

So far, scientists have not found any change in the severity of the new variant compared to previous variants of the new coronavirus, Maria van Kerckhoff, WHO's technical lead for the new coronavirus, said at a news conference.

"Unfortunately, we do see the emergence of new recombinants, because that's what viruses are, and they change over time," Kerckhoff said.