<
https://fortune.com/well/2022/10/08/autumn-covid-variants-similar-omicron-convergent-evolution-recombination-deltacron-frankenvirus-fall-winter-wave-coronavirus-pandemic-epidemic/>
"Earlier this year, fears of a new “super strain” of Omicron were real—and
rising.
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.
As Omicron evolves, it’s “rediscovering solutions that have been used before”
in variants like Alpha, Gamma, and Delta “while bringing some new things along
with its lineage,” Dr. Stuart Ray, vice chair of medicine for data integrity
and analytics at Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine, told
Fortune.
“It’s a fascinating part of evolution,” he said. “We see the same scraps of
cloth being used to make a new quilt.”"
Via Violet Blue’s
Pandemic Roundup: October 13, 2022
https://www.patreon.com/posts/pandemic-roundup-73246405
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
