New COVID-19 variant 'Mu' shows signs of vaccine resistance; all you need to know

A new coronavirus strain known as “Mu”, which was first identified in Colombia in January, has been designated a variant of interest by the World Health Organisation. After being detected in Colombia, Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, has since been reported in other South American countries and in Europe. “The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” the global health body said Tuesday in its weekly pandemic bulletin. Apart from Mu, there are four other variants of interest such as Eta, Iota, Kappa and Lambda. What we know of this new variant so far:

• The variant is scientifically known as B.1.621 and was classified as a variant of interest in August, 2021
• The WHO said its global prevalence has declined to below 0.1 percent among sequenced cases. In Colombia, however, it is at 39 percent
• The variant might have immune escape properties as it has a constellation of mutations
• The WHO’s weekly bulletin on the pandemic said the variant has mutations suggesting it could be more resistant to vaccines, as was the case with Beta, but that more studies would be needed to examine this further

Why emerging variants are a concern There is widespread concern over the emergence of new virus mutations as infection rates are ticking up globally again, with the highly transmissible Delta variant taking hold - especially among the unvaccinated - and in regions where anti-virus measures have been relaxed. All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, mutate over time and most mutations have little or no effect on the properties of the virus. But certain mutations can impact the properties of a virus and influence how easily it spreads, the severity of the disease it causes, and its resistance to vaccines, drugs and other countermeasures. The WHO currently identifies four COVID-19 variants of concern, including Alpha, which is present in 193 countries, and Delta, present in 170 countries. Has India reported cases of Mu variant Apart from Mu, which has already been classified by the WHO, another variant C.1.2 has also been detected. However, this has not been classified as either a variant of interest or a variant of concern, but the WHO said that it is monitoring the variant. None of these variants has been detected in India as of yet. With inputs from AFP