Could ‘Delmicron’ be behind COVID surge in US, Europe? Know what it is

As an increasing number of countries find themselves grappling with rising COVID-19 cases, a new term ‘Delmicron’ has emerged.

Delmicron is not a new variant. Instead, the term is being used to refer to the ‘twin spikes’ of the Omicron and the Delta variants – both known to have led to significant surges in COVID-19 cases. 

It must be noted that there has been no official confirmation on the phenomenon by the World Health Organisation, the Centre for Disease Control, or the Indian Council of Medical Research. 

Dr Shashank Joshi, a member of the COVID-19 task force in Maharashtra, had pointed towards the possibility that the COVID surge in the West could be because of the twin spikes of both the variants together.

He said, “Delmicron, the twin spikes of Delta and Omicron, in Europe and US has led to a mini tsunami of cases.”

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Doctors believe that people with a weak immune system, the elderly, ones with comorbidities, and those in places with low vaccination rates, are at higher risk of getting infected with both variants simultaneously, according to a Hindustan Times report.

While virologist Peter White from the University of New Wales, in an interview with Bloomberg, warned of the likelihood of such a combination leading to a ‘super strain’, doctors remain divided. 

Dr Paul Burton, chief medical officer at Moderna, was quoted in the Daily Mail as hinting towards a similar warning, “There’s certainly data, there have been some papers published again from South Africa earlier from the pandemic when people – and certainly immunocompromised people – can harbour both viruses.”

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Speaking of India, Dr Joshi said, “At present, Delta derivatives, descendants of Delta, are the main variants in circulation in India. Omicron is fast replacing Delta in other parts of the world, but there is no way to predict how the Delta derivatives and Omicron would behave.”