A new coronavirus variant that fuses elements of Delta and Omicron was identified last week, according to the World Health Organization and GISAID, the organisation that tracks the mutation of viruses. Its detection, say experts, highlights the important role played by genomic surveillance.

It has been detected in several regions of France, and in Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany. The variant has been in circulation since January. The WHO said it is not yet clear whether the variant is distinct from its predecessors in terms of infectiousness or severity, though studies are under way.

Two years after the WHO declared Covid-19 a pandemic, global cases are beginning to subside but it still kills 50,000 people a week. Around 6mn people have died in the pandemic, according to official data from governments, although a recent study suggests the true number of Covid-related deaths may be three times higher.