Deltacron Alert: WHO warns against new COVID-19 variant; know what it is and how concerned should you be

Viruses are programmed to mutate. The SARs-COV-2 virus also evolves over time and hence, new variants are bound to emerge.

The mutations that arise out of an old or the original strain are called COVID mutations or ‘variants’ of the original virus. Therefore, unlike the original strain, the new variants may have different abilities in their way of infecting a person and may possess a different genome sequencing that may allow it to dodge antibodies from a natural infection or vaccines.

As compared to the previous variant, Delta was more severe, contagious and dangerous. Then came the Omicron, which although milder, led to widespread transmission and was also found to re-infect some who had previously had COVID-19.

WHO epidemiologist Van Kerkhove says, “Unfortunately, we do expect to see recombinants because this is what viruses do, they change over time.” “We’re seeing a very intense level of circulation. We are seeing this virus infect animals, with the possibility of infecting humans again. So again, the pandemic is far from over,” she adds.