The new Covid-19 variant Mu is called a ‘variant of interest’.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently announced a new Covid-19 variant. This is to be expected, as the viruses tend to come with variants.
We have already heard of the Delta variant, and luckily vaccinated people have thus far been able to fight off this variant without too much trouble.
Every new variant brings about a new set of challenges however, and the possibility always exists that a new variant will be resistant to vaccination or treatment.
READ MORE: Watch Me Get the Pfizer Covid-19 Vaccine
WHO is referring to Mu as a ‘variant of interest’, so we should definitely keep our eyes on it. Here are seven things we currently know about the Mu variant:
-The Mu Variant was identified for the first time in Colombia, in January 2021.
-Outbreaks of Mu have occurred in South America, the US, the UK, Europe, and Hong Kong.
-According to WHO, Mu has ‘a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape’.
-Currently, Mu makes up less than 0/1% of Covid-19 infections around the world.
-In Colombia, Mu makes up 39% of cases.
-In Ecuador, Mu makes up 13% of cases.
-Variants are always being generated, and the fact that it was first discovered in January and is only now being recognized could be a good sign.