The Guardian‘s science editor Ian Samples writes the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated Mu (or B.1.621), variant of Coronavirus, first identified in Colombia, has been designated as a “variants of interest”.

According to The Guardian, the WHO’s has added the Mu variant in its watchlist on 30 August “after it was detected in 39 countries and found to possess a cluster of mutations that may make it less susceptible to the immune protection many have acquired”.

The Mu variant “has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape”, according to WHO’s weekly bulletin on the pandemic.

Citing a July report by Public Health England (PHE), The Guardian writes that majority of cases found in London were in their 20s and some of those testing positive for Mu had received one or two doses of Covid vaccine too.

“At present, there is no evidence that VUI-21JUL-01 is outcompeting the Delta variant and it appears unlikely that it is more transmissible. Immune escape may contribute to future changes in growth,” the report stated.

• The W.H.O. lists Mu as a ‘variant of interest.’
• WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named Mu
• U.S. ‘keeping a very close eye’ on mu variant, Fauci says

Mu Variant Not an ‘immediate threat’ to US

According to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID), the Mu variant is not an “immediate threat” to the US.

The variant was ‘not at all even close to being dominant’, as the delta variant remains the cause of over 99 percent of cases in the country. But we’re keeping a very close eye on it.

Dr. Anthony Fauci in a news briefing (source: The Washington Post)

Dr Fauci added that the new variant “has a constellation of mutations that suggests it would evade certain antibodies,” but there is so far very little clinical data supporting that conclusion.

“Bottom line, we are paying attention to it. We take everything like that seriously, but we don’t consider it an immediate threat right now,” Dr. Fauci added.