Fear and caution for a new variant of the coronavirus detected in Colombia – Telam

Variant B.1.621 remains classified as a “variant of interest,” the WHO said.

Scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) analyze a new variant of the coronavirus, baptized “Mou”, first identified in January in Colombia, reported the UN agency based in Geneva.

Variant B.1.621, according to scientific nomenclature, remains classified asthe “variant of interest”, WHO said in its weekly epidemiological bulletin on the evolution of the pandemic, the AFP news agency reported.

The variant has mutations that could indicate a risk of “immune escape” or vaccine resistance, and more studies will be needed to understand its characteristics, the organization said.

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, which causes Covid-19, mutate over time, and most mutations have little or no impact on the characteristics of the virus.

However, certain mutations can affect the properties of the virus and influence, for example, in its ability to spread, the severity of the disease it causes, or the effectiveness of vaccines, drugs or other measures to combat it.

The emergence in 2020 of variants presenting an aggravated risk for global public health has led the WHO to characterize them as “of interest” or “of concern”, in order to prioritize surveillance and research activities at the global level. .

The entity adopted the letters of the Greek alphabet to name the variants, making them easier to identify for the non-scientific audience and avoiding the stigma associated with the country of origin.

Four of the variants were described by the WHO as “worrying”, including Alpha and the Delta, while five others were classified as “of interest”, including the Mu, AFP added.

The Mu variant was first detected in Colombia last January, and since then it has been found in other countries in South America and in Europe.

“Although the global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has decreased and is currently less than 0.1%, its prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has steadily increased,” WHO seal.