The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it has identified a
new variant of the coronavirus — labelled as ‘Mu’ — which may be resistant to
vaccines.
The Mu variant is the fifth identified by the WHO — others
are Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
In its epidemiological update published on Tuesday, the
organisation expressed concern that the variant has shown some resistance to
the COVID-19 vaccines, but said more studies are required to make an informed
conclusion.
While the Mu variant has not been recorded in Africa, it has been identified in cases across South America and Europe.
“Based on the latest
round of assessments, B.1.621 was classified as a VOI on 30 August 2021 and
given the WHO label “Mu”. This includes the descendent Pango lineage B.1.621.1.
This variant is known as 21H in Nextstrain nomenclature,” the report reads.
“The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that
indicate potential properties of immune escape. Preliminary data presented to
the Virus Evolution Working Group show a reduction in neutralisation capacity
of convalescent and vaccinee sera similar to that seen for the Beta variant,
but this needs to be confirmed by further studies.
“Since its first identification in Colombia in January 2021,
there have been a few sporadic reports of cases of the Mu variant and some
larger outbreaks have been reported from other countries in South America and
in Europe.
“As of 29 August,
over 4500 sequences (3794 sequences of B.1.621 and 856 sequences of B.1.621.1)
have been uploaded to GISAID from 39 countries. Although the global prevalence
of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has declined and is currently below
0.1%, the prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has consistently
increased.
“The reported prevalence should be interpreted with due
consideration of sequencing capacities and timeliness of sharing of sequences,
both of which vary between countries. More studies are required to understand
the phenotypic and clinical characteristics of this variant. The epidemiology
of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the
Delta variant, will be monitored for changes.”
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