New Delhi: Even while we struggle with Omicron, yet another demon, ‘Delmicron’ has raised its head in the United States and Europe and is behind the recent surge. Delmicron is a combination of the Delta and Omicron variants and transmits even faster than its predecessors.
According to Dr Shashank Joshi, member of Maharashtra’s task force on COVID-19, “Delmicron, the twin spikes of Delta and Omicron, in Europe and US has led to a mini tsunami of cases,” News18 reported.
According to health experts, factors such as a weak immune system, old age and comorbidities can heighten the risk of simultaneous infection from Delta and Omicron. Besides, areas with low vaccination rates could be more at risk, Economic Times reported.
Many such immuno-compromised persons have taken seriously ill from this combination in Europe. In some places, Delta and Omicron are “operating separately as two epidemics at the same time,” IANS reported quoting the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies.
Getting co-infected in this manner, however, is ‘rare’, according to some doctors. But immuno-compromised people could see this happen, they say.
While this could be rare, co-infection can happen from “exposure to a large crowd with high chances of exposure to people infected with different Covid variants”, IANS quoted Dr Namita Jaggi of Gurgaon’s Artemis Hospital as saying.
It might also be possible that those recovering from Covid could be at more risk from co-infection, Dr Jaggi added.
