WHO is monitoring new variant of coronavirus called ‘Mu’

The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new variant of the coronavirus named Mu, which may be resistant to vaccines.

First identified in Colombia in January, Mu has been classified as a “variant of interest” by the global health body.

“The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential immune evasion properties,” the WHO said in its weekly pandemic bulletin Tuesday.

“There have been a few sporadic reports of Mu variant cases, and larger outbreaks have been reported in other countries in South America and Europe.”

WHO added that more studies are needed to better understand the variant, which is scientifically known as B.1.621.

With global coronavirus infection rates increasing due to the highly contagious Delta variant, the emergence of new viral mutations is causing widespread concern.

The five variants now considered of concern by the WHO are Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Mu.

New South African strain
Meanwhile, scientists in South Africa have also detected a new variant with multiple mutations, but have yet to determine whether it is highly contagious or resistant to vaccines.

Known as C.1.2, this variant was first detected in May and has now spread to seven other countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

However, the research on the variant has yet to be peer reviewed.

On Friday, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were due to launch the WHO Hub for Intelligence on Pandemics and Outbreaks.

The health body said it would be a place of global collaboration, where country experts can “prepare, detect and respond” to future risks of pandemic and epidemic.

In a Twitter post, Ghebreyesus said Germany has been a strong supporter of the WHO and global health.