Nation Ready for Deltacron Covid-19 Coronavirus Variant

As Deltacron a new variant of Covid-19 Coronavirus is being closely watched by the World Health Organization, the Health Minister says Thailand is prepared.

Health Minister Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul said his ministry has prepared the necessary medical tool kit, vaccines, and drugs to ensure it can fight the Deltacron variant and any other variant of Covid-19 Coronavirus that emerges.

The Health Minister said the government’s Covid-19 Coronavirus preventive measures of social distancing, mask-wearing, hand washing, are still effective.

“Our people don’t need to worry about any new strains as long as they follow the ministry’s guidelines and do not lower their guard in preventing infection,” he said.

Deltacron Similar to Omicron

The Deltacron variant was initially reported earlier this year when it was thought to be part of a co-infection with Omicron. The World Health Organization began tracking Deltacron on Wednesday however, it has yet to designate it as a variant of concern or name it.

Geneticists believe it is a single, hybrid variant that combines genes from the Delta variant and Omicron, thus the name Deltacron.

Mr. Anutin’s remarks were made during a program he presided over on Thursday at the Thailand International Health EXPO 2022, organized by the Department of Health Service Support.

During the event, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus gave a virtual speech highlighting Thailand’s successful response to the Covid-19 Coronavirus.

WHO Director-General Tedros said the organization prioritizes vaccine distribution to poor countries, particularly those in Africa.

According to him, the WHO wants at least 70% of the population in all countries vaccinated. “If we meet this goal, the game will end faster,” he said.

Technology transfers are still needed for vaccine production, Mr. Tedros said.

Is the Deltacron Varian More Dangerous than Omicron?

According to Philippe Colson of IHU Mediterranee Infection, because there have been so few cases confirmed, it is too early to tell whether Deltacron infections will be very transmissible or cause severe illness.

The team described three patients with SARS-CoV-2 in France that combine the spike protein of an Omicron variant with the body of a Delta variant.

Insufficient data exists to determine whether vaccines are effective against it.

According to the WHO, the symptoms of Deltacron are the same as typical Covid symptoms we have seen so far in the pandemic, but researchers are closely monitoring it.

The World Health Organization says the common Deltacron symptoms are:

• High temperature: You feel hot when you touch your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature).
• New, continuous cough: You may have this if you cough for more than one hour or if you cough three or more times within 24 hours (if you normally have a cough, it may be worse).
• Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste (anosmia): You notice that you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste differently.