LAFAYETTE, La. - Researchers says they've discovered a new Coronavirus strain over on an island in the mediterranean sea, Cyprus.
There's not a whole lot of information to share about this new Coronavirus strain but what researchers do know is that it's a combination of the Delta and Omicron variant, researchers are calling it Deltacron.
Researchers say the new variant has Omicron-like genetic signatures within the Delta genomes.
"Assume that you have Delta because that is the predominant strain," said Hebert.
At this time The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the Delta variant is still highly contagious, it's more than two times as contagious as previous variants. So how is Covid spreading so fast? Doctors say the reasons why are unlimited.
"Maybe it makes itself a little bit lighter so it can hang around in the air a little bit more. Or maybe it ramps up the number of receptors that it can attach to the back of the throat or the eye mucus membranes," said Hebert.
With Deltacron now circulating The CDC says they expect new variants to emerge but taking steps to reduce the spread of infection is key.
"You either mask or you vaccinate or your'e going to keep hearing about covid," said Hebert.
Dr. Larry Simon says the only way your'e going to transmit covid to somebody is through your respiratory secretions aka your airways.
"The secreations can get into their nose or their mouth or in theory thier eyes and transmit but your'e only going to give it somebody from what comes out of your nose and mouth," said Simon.
Just in The United States there's more than 60 million cases of Covid. Researchers in Cyprus say there's only been 25 cases of the new strain reported but they'll have to wait to determnine the impact of the strain and if there are more cases.
Now again there's not a whole out there just yet about Deltacron but the variant is being closely studied to see if the strain is more contagious or if it will one up it's parents Delta and Omicron.
