From June 19 to August 21, 2021, Public Health discovered and sequenced up to 167 COVID-19 cases involving the so-called Mu variant of the virus. The WHO recently termed it a VOC (variant of interest) since it showed signs of escaping immunity created by earlier coronavirus infections as well as vaccines.
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health stated that it is shown to have mutations associated with not just greater transmissibility but also the potential of evading antibodies. Therefore, Public Health highlighted the need for further studies to discover whether it is contagious, fatal or resistant to vaccination and treatments to a greater degree than other coronavirus strains.
Also called B.1.621, the coronavirus variant is compared to its Beta strain as it has mutations indicating potential immune escape properties. Preliminary data from the Virus Evolution Working Group shows a drop in the neutralization capability of convalescent serum and vaccine serum to that of coronavirus’s Beta strain. Nevertheless, the WHO said that the preliminary finding should be confirmed through further research.
Kappa, Eta, Lambda and Iota are the other coronavirus strains. When a strain demonstrates resistance to preventive measures or transmits at a greater rate, it may get categorized as a VOC. The Beta, Delta, Alpha and Gamma coronavirus variants come under the above-mentioned category and are detected in this nation. Of all those coronavirus variants detected here, the Delta strain is turning into the most dominant one.
Since Mu was found in Columbia this January, 4,500 sequenced coronavirus cases have been detected in 39 nations of South America and Europe. The sequences of Mu have dropped, but these have increased in Ecuador by 13% and in Columbia by 39%, as per the WHO.
While the Mu strain has a low prevalence, the World Health Organization and Public Health will keep tracking and researching its properties to determine whether it may get deadlier or more contagious.
