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| - Last Updated on July 30, 2024 by Nivedita
Quick Take
Various social media posts claim that no one tests positive for an old variant once a new one comes along. We fact checked and found this claim to be False.
The Claim
Various social media posts state , “Tonight on unsolved mysteries we investigate why no one tests positive for an old variant once a new one comes along.” We fact checked and found this claim to be false.
The posts can be seen here, here and here.
Fact Check
What are variants?
According to WHO, all viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties. However, some changes may affect the virus’s properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures.
During late 2020, the emergence of variants that posed an increased risk to global public health prompted the characterisation of specific Variants of Interest (VOIs) and Variants of Concern (VOCs), in order to prioritise global monitoring and research, and ultimately to inform the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Do previous variants of coronavirus disappear when a new variant is detected?
No. According to CDC on variant proportions on Dec. 28 in the United States, while Omicron accounted for 58.6% of virus genetic sequences collected in the country, the Delta variant represented 41.1% and the remaining 0.2% was of other variants. Cases of other variants have also been reported since the discovery of Omicron.
Even in India, celebrities have been diagnosed with Delta Plus variant even when the Omicron variant have come in. Hence, the claim is false.
Such false posts are often seen on social media. One of the false social media posts also claim that the Delta variant of Covid is a side effect of the vaccines.
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