This week, in Spain they have detected the coinfection of two variants: delta and omicron at the same time.
The rise of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, together with the persistence of the previous delta variant, is producing a “tsunami of new cases”, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned today. He asked that social measures be taken to stop the contagion.
The alert of a probable delta and omicron co-infection was given in Spain this week by the pulmonologist at the Basurto hospital (Basque Country), Sara Quirós, explains 20 minutes. She has warned of the risk of being coinfected with the variants of the delta and omicron coronavirus at the same time, a phenomenon of which pulmonologists have already verified the first cases, especially in the northern provinces of Spain.
According to the weekly epidemiological report of the World Health Organization, from December 20 to 26, 4.9 million cases were confirmed on the planet, the highest figure in almost seven months, while the deaths were 44,000, a very high number. similar to that recorded each week in the last three months.
America was the region that registered the highest increase in cases last week, of 39% (1.4 million), while Europe led in absolute figures, with 2.8 million infections, 3% more than in the seven days previous.
How coinfection occurs
A co-infection occurs when a person who was already infected by one microorganism becomes superinfected with another. Although the chances of owning both variants are minimal but not impossible.
According to 20 minutesAccording to the latest data from the Spanish Ministry of Health, there is a rapid replacement of the delta variant by omicron. However, recently, in the northern regions of the country you have been alerted to the risk of co-infection with the delta and omicron variants at the same time.
Rafael Cantón, head of the Microbiology service at the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital in Madrid, explains, in conversation with the Spanish media 20minutos, that due to the current trend “the speed at which one variant is being replaced by another” coinfection with delta and omicron “is not an impossible thing, but it is an unlikely thing.”
“In some of these microorganisms, recombinations occur (a process in which a part of genetic material joins a molecule of different genetic material), if they are of the same gender,” explains Cantón. In turn, he added that recombinations occur between viruses of the same type, so that in this case it can occur between different variants.
For Cantón, a co-infection between delta and omicron variants would probably occur in a person infected with a variant that becomes superinfected again, “the fact that it is transmitted by another person who is infected by two would be much more unlikely still ”.
Once the positive is detected, “in the screening study there would be abnormal patterns that would not match with a single variant,” he explains. At that time, it could be suspected that either a co-infection has occurred or a new variant has occurred.
Insistence on vaccination
Spain has increased the requirements in the health controls of entry to the country for passengers from places considered high risk, given the worsening of their epidemiological situation due to omicron.
A regulation of the Spanish Ministry of Health published this Wednesday establishes the requirements that will be requested from Thursday, which include, in addition to a diagnostic test with a negative result, a document that certifies that they have been vaccinated or that they have recovered from the disease.
The WHO director stressed that given the rapid advance of the omicron variant, attention should be paid not only to the vaccination campaign, but also to “public health measures” that avoid saturating health networks and “can keep societies open now. children allow them to go to school ”.
However, Tedros insisted on the need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and pointed out that “the unvaccinated have a greater risk of dying from the disease, whatever its variant.” (I)
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