Kostrikis said that the fact that the mutation frequency was higher in hospitalized patients could indicate a correlation between the new variant and the number of hospitalizations.
However, the new variant is not something to worry about at the moment, said Cypriot Health Minister Michalis Hadjipandalas.
The Cyprus Mail reports that it is “very likely” that the new strain of bacteria has not been found elsewhere and that the sequences of the cases have been submitted to GISAID, an open access database that tracks the evolution of the coronavirus, Cyprus Mail reported.
Studies have shown that the co-existence of Delta and Omicron increases the chance of a new variant appearing because they trade genes.
With that, France recently discovered a variant with 46 mutations and named it IHU.
According to an unreviewed study supported by the French government, a new variant from the strain called B.1.640.2 is believed to have infected 12 people in the country.
Although it may pose a greater risk than Omicron, touted as highly transmissible but mild in infections and less fatal than the previous Delta variant, the researchers said. , “it is too early to speculate on the virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this IHU variant based on (only) 12 cases”.
Source: IANS
