A new Covid variant has been identified in France, Denmark and the Netherlands in recent weeks, with cases also found in the US.

But what is Deltacron, and has it made its way to the UK yet?

This is everything we know about Deltacron, including how severe it is and what symptoms to look out for.

What is Deltacron?

The new variant contains genes from both variants, as mentioned, which makes it what is known as a recombinant virus.

Deltacron combines the spike protein of omicron with the “body” of the delta variant, according to Reuters.

Asked if he had any concerns over the deltacron variant, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “There are variants that we would obviously keep under review.

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“The most recent one of concern has been Omicron but we have successfully navigated our way through that as a country thanks to the response of the British people.

“There are also so-called subvariants of Omicron and we’re not concerned about any of those at this important time.

“We keep it under review but we have no concerns at all."

Has Deltacron been recorded in the UK?

The strain has already been identified in several regions in France and could have been circulating since the beginning of the year.

It has also been recorded in Denmark and the Netherlands, however, it has yet to be found in the UK.

Last month, a person in the UK contracted both the Delta and Omicron variants at the same time, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed.

However, a new confirmation would be the first evidence that the hybrid has been transmitted between people in the UK.

Deltacron symptoms

The UK’s Health Security Agency is monitoring Deltacron, but we still know very little about it, including how infectious or severe the new variant may be.

According to previous NHS advice, these are some of the symptoms that you should be looking out for:

  • High temperature
  • New continuous cough
  • Loss or change to your sense of smell or taste.
  • Runny or congested nose
  • Feeling fatigued
  • Headache
  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
  • Muscle or body aches
  • Sore throat
  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Diarrhoea

For more information and further guidance about taking a test and self-isolating, visit the NHS website.