British experts have issued a stark warning following the discovery of a coronavirus mutation that appears to be a combination of both the Omicron and Delta variants.

The genome of a new “Deltacron” variant has been sequenced by virologists from L’Institut Pasteur in Paris. It has been found in numerous French provinces and is thought to have been circulating since early January. Concern was raised earlier this year when a lab in Cyprus claimed to have discovered signs of a Delta-Omicron recombination event.

Experts eventually disproved the findings, but they now believe they have discovered a true example.

Professor of evolution and genetics at the University of Oxford, Aris Katzourakis, says: “This one is legit.”

“[It is] one to keep an eye on.”

Similar sequences have also been reported in Denmark and the Netherlands, but these have yet to be confirmed.

Virologist Dr. Stephen Griffin of the University of Leeds says: “The French cluster appears to be a validated occurrence where a recombination event has given rise to a virus fit enough to circulate.

“Whilst it doesn’t seem to have taken off as a dominant strain yet, this could be due to a very slow start based upon seeding density (the number of initial cases).

“There are multiple scenarios that can play out here in terms of what this means for people that become infected as this combination of viral proteins may behave differently to either parent.”

To be clear, there is no evidence that Deltacron is more infectious or lethal than its forerunners, Delta and Omicron.

Dr. Griffin adds the “fact it persists in the fact of Omicron” suggests its transmissibility “can’t be too shoddy”.

The World Health Organization’s Covid technical lead, Maria van Kerkhove, said her team was “monitoring and discussing” the new variant.

Experts have cautioned that the pandemic is “not over,” since hospital admissions among individuals over 55 are on the rise.

According to data, almost one in 35 persons (2.88 percent) in England were infected between February 8 and March 1.

The ratio fell from 4.41 percent between January 5 and January 20, but it was still the second-highest documented rate of occurrences since the survey began in 2020.

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