How worried should you be?Experts say the recombinant is rare and some do not believe it represents a new phase of the pandemic.
Most of the Delta-Omicron hybrid samples found so far feature a genetic code that looks very similar to the original Delta variant, but with one key addition - the Omicron spike protein.
The spike protein is the most important of the virus when it comes to invading cells, says Etienne Simon-Loriere, a virologist at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.He says the defences people have acquired against Omicron through infections and vaccines should work just as well against the hybrid variant.
“The surface of the viruses is super-similar to Omicron, so the body will recognise it as well as it recognises Omicron,” Simon-Loriere told the New York Times. While Deltacron is expected to behave similarly to Omicron, it will still pose a serious threat, Kamil warned.
“That’s not to say it’s not dangerous, because Omicron is dangerous,” he said, “but my strong supposition is that it would match what we see with Omicron.”
