Medical expert hits out at Flurona and Deltacron Covid 'variant' myth

The Covid-19 pandemic has been throwing up hurdles for nearly two years since it was first detected within Europe.

From Alpha, Beta and Gamma variants, to the latest Delta and Omicron strains, there has been endless research into the developments of the virus.

While transmission has been on the rise right across the globe in recent months, so too has the number of myths associated with its spread.

The terms Flurona and Deltacron have been circulating in the news for days now, with some suggesting they are a new hybrid form of the virus.

However, Tik Tok star and NHS Doctor, Karan Rajan explained: “This is everything you need to know about Deltacron.

“How do I say this? It doesn’t exist.

“Deltacron came about because of lab contamination of Omicron fragments found in a Delta specimen.

Medical expert dispels myths around Flurona and Deltacron “variants” (@dr.karanr)

“Deltacron doesn’t exist the same way Flurona doesn’t exist either.

“Go back to more fake news.”

Deltacron hit the internet by storm, and a number of other experts have been responding on Twitter, saying that this alleged “mega-variant” was - as Dr. Karan said - a result of lab contamination.

Tom Peacock, PhD, of the Barclay Laboratory of Imperial College London, tweeted that "very, very tiny volumes of liquid can cause this" kind of contamination, but "usually these fairly clearly contaminated sequences are not reported by major media outlets."

Meanwhile, instead of being a new “highly transmissible” variant of Coronavirus, Flurona is actually when someone is infected with two or more disease-causing organisms at once - which can happen across most viruses and illnesses and is called a co-infection.

According to Gavi.org, “Both viruses cause respiratory infections, and are transmitted through the tiny droplets we breathe, cough or sneeze out of our mouths and noses, and through surfaces contaminated with these droplets.

“They also have a tendency to infect many of the same cells – chiefly, those lining the upper and lower respiratory tract – and can cause a broad spectrum of illness, from relatively mild or asymptomatic infections, through to severe disease or death.”