Another new COVID-19 variant has been detected.
The World Health Organization has confirmed that the new variant, dubbed Deltacron — a combination of Delta and Omicron — has been detected in the France, Denmark and the Netherlands.
"The hybrid genome harbors signature mutations of the two lineages," said IHU Méditerranée Infection's Philippe Colson in a study published Tuesday.
While evidence of the new variant has been observed, cases are few. According to Reuters, researchers have identified 17 confirmed instances in both Europe and the United States.
The IHU study also noted that more cases would need to emerge for researchers to be able to effectively detect the severity of the variant. In a Wednesday media briefing, WHO COVID-19 technical lead Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said of Deltacron, "We have not seen any change in the epidemiology with this recombinant. We haven't seen any change in severity. But there are many studies that are underway."