As cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continue to rise in India, reports from the United States and Europe have raised concern over the possibility of a new strain called 'Delmicron'.
Chatter around the new strain emerged after Dr Shashank Joshi, member of Maharashtra's task force on Covid-19, was quoted by the Times of India as saying that the "twin spikes of Delta and Omicron — Delmicron — in Europe and US has led to a mini tsunami of cases."
It is important to note that the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) or the Health Ministry in India have not used the term Delmicron for any COVID strain, yet.
There has been no information about the SARS-CoV-2 going into another consequential mutation after Omicron.
What are Experts and Reports From UK and US Indicating?
According to several reports, people with a weak immune system, the elderly and ones with co-morbidities are at higher risk of getting infected with the Delta and Omicron variants, simultaneously.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Moderna's chief medical officer Dr Paul Burton said, "There's certainly data, there have been some papers published again from South Africa earlier from the pandemic when people - and certainly immunocompromised people - can harbour both viruses."
What Does It Mean For India?
As of Friday, India reported 415 cases of Omicron while experts claim that the Delta variant is responsible for most COVID-19 cases in India.
"At present, Delta derivatives, descendants of Delta, are the main variants in circulation in India. Omicron is fast replacing Delta in other parts of the world, but there is no way to predict how the Delta derivatives and Omicron would behave," Dr Joshi further told the Times of India.
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