The World Health Organization is tracking a new COVID-19 variant called Mu, which could be able to evade the immunity provided by vaccines and prior infections.
The variant, also known as B.1.621, was first identified in Colombia in January. It has now been detected in 43 countries and was added to the WHO’s ““The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” the WHO wrote in itsPreliminary data suggests that the Mu variant may be able to evade antibodies at levels similar to the Beta variant, the WHO wrote, though more studies are needed. The Beta variant, also known as B.1.
More than 4,700 cases of the Mu variant have been identified worldwide through genomic sequencing, according, an open-source database operated by Scripps Research. The U.S. has identified 2,011 of these cases, with 348 in California. As of Thursday morning, only one state -- Nebraska -- had not yet reported a Mu case.
“At the moment, it looks like there’s genuine cause for concern in USA, Central America and South America, but as we saw with Delta, a potent variant can traverse the globe in the blink of an
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