MOSCOW, August 11. /TASS/. The VGARus database contains six genome sequences belonging to a hybrid of coronavirus Delta and Omicron strains dubbed Deltacron with five samples taken in St. Petersburg and one in Moscow, the press service of Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing told reporters on Thursday.

"As of August 10, 2022, six genome sequences belonging to the aforementioned variant of COVID-19 (the hybrid of strains - TASS) have been uploaded to the VGARus database (the national platform of the genome sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 virus - TASS). The sequences date from July and early August. Five samples for research were collected in St. Petersburg and one - in Moscow," the statement said.

The variant belongs to non-dominating lines of the coronavirus infection and is currently not having a significant impact on the epidemiological situation in both cities. The epidemiological situation in Moscow and St. Petersburg is generally similar to the overall situation across Russia, being characterized by the active spread of the BA.4 and BA.5 lines with the BA.5 line prevailing in the strain composition. Patients with the hybrid variant of the coronavirus infection had a light form of the disease with no hospitalization required, the sanitary watchdog added.

The agency specified that currently there are no grounds to believe that the hybrid variant results in a more severe course of the disease or is more transmissible. Overall, the emergence of hybrids is not a unique event, since the process is typical of many viruses being one of the evolutionary adaptive mechanisms. "Earlier, the hybrid COVID-19 strains were recorded in European countries, the US and Latin America. They did not spread widely among the population," the statement noted.

Earlier, RBC reported the detection of the Omicron and Delta hybrid in Russia citing US researcher Dmitry Pruss. "Note that the recent reports on the detection of the hybrid strain in Russia were quoting an American geneticist. We’ve noted the interest of American researchers to the epidemiological situation in Russia. We recommend to our colleagues to pay closer attention to the events in their own country since the COVID-19 situation in the US remains rather tense," the sanitary watchdog pointed out.