News
All about so-called Deltacron & Flurona
A new COVID-19 variant, the so-called ‘Deltacron’, has been reported from Cyprus, said Consultant Virologist Dr. Jude Jayamaha of the Medical Research Institute (MRI).
He explained that dubbing it as a ‘mix’ of Delta and Omicron is being contested by scientists who say that as genetic sequencing is a complex process, there could be misinterpretation of laboratory data following both variants being present in samples. The existence of a ‘Deltacron’ variant has to be proven scientifically.
Dr. Jude Jayamaha
Flurona
This is as Israel reported that a woman has been infected by both influenza and COVID-19, which is scientifically possible, said Dr. Jayamaha.
Looking at the scenario in Sri Lanka, he said that the MRI conducts extensive research on influenza and active surveillance with the Epidemiology Unit.
“What we have observed is that there are more influenza cases in certain months and there could be other viruses in influenza samples. Therefore, a patient who tests positive for COVID-19 could possibly have other viruses if more tests are done on them. Flurona is also not accurate terminology, but there is a possibility of influenza or another virus co-existing with COVID-19,” he said.
Dr. Jayamaha gave the following data for 2021 (last year):
- Of 771 COVID-19 samples analysed, no influenza virus was detected till November.
- The Influenza A virus was found in around 16 stand-alone samples sent after November.
- Both COVID-19 and influenza were not detected together. However, they cannot exclude COVID-19 and influenza co-existing, as these samples are not representative.
- A higher number of influenza cases were reported in December, but this is nothing new as December and January are the peak for influenza. This has been the case in the past 10 years. Another peak occurs between May and July.
- Fifteen samples tested positive for Influenza A and one for Influenza B in December.
“Sometimes there can also be a mix of a virus with a bacterium. This is while two or three viruses could exist in the respiratory passage of a person,” he said.
Turning his attention to Omicron, Dr. Jayamaha said that there has been transmission of this variant in Sri Lanka for over six weeks, while stressing that there could also be a mixed infection of COVID-19 and influenza, especially in children.
Referring to the high transmissibility of Omicron, he said that case numbers are going up in America, Europe and Australia, along with a considerable number of hospitalizations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has cautioned that these countries have an increased risk level and estimated that around half of the population in Europe may get infected with Omicron in the next 2-6 weeks.
Dr. Jayamaha said that while the rate of transmission of Omicron is known to be higher than Delta, there seems to be less severity than Delta. However, when a large population is infected with Omicron, there could be a fraction of people who get severe disease such as pneumonia which can burden healthcare facilities.
Dealing with hesitancy to get the booster which is based on myth, he pointed out that more than one billion people around the world have been vaccinated. It is only in rare cases that certain complications or side-effects could emerge, but these would go away in a few days. The booster dose is the main weapon against Omicron and studies have shown that those who have got the booster are less prone to be hospitalized or develop pneumonia.
Get the booster during the long weekend
The highlights of Friday’s media briefing at the Health Promotion Bureau (HPB).
HPB Director Dr. Ranjith Batuwanthudawe:
- Omicron patients were earlier being detected at a rate between 12-24% but the spread may have intensified over the past three weeks.
- The long weekend is a good time to get the booster against COVID-19. No adverse effects have been reported among any vaccinated children. A few children had felt faintish but no hospitalizations or complications have occurred.
Dr. Deepa Gamage of the Epidemiology Unit:
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