While cases of omicron soar across the globe, another new variant of coronavirus is worrying scientists following an outbreak in southern France.
A total of twelve patients in the region have so far tested positive for the new strain, which showed an 'atypical combination', according to the Express.
In a preprint paper, that is yet to be peer-reviewed, experts from a French government-back programme said they had identified '46 mutations' in the variant.
The coronavirus variant has been given the name B.1.640.2 and was first detected by experts at the IHU Mediterranee Infection in Marseille.
They announced on Twitter earlier this month that they had detected a new variant in Covid-19 patients from Forcalquier, in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region.
While new variants are discovered all the time, it does not necessarily mean they will be more dangerous than Delta or Alpha.
What makes a variant more well-known and dangerous is its ability to multiply because of the number of mutations it has in relation to the original virus, like Omicron.
It comes as France slashed the isolation period for vaccinated people in a bid to ease the financial and social burdens of the outbreak.
