The Mu variant, the latest of the coronavirus has caught the attention of health officials worldwide and has several implications for the future of the pandemic.
"This new variant, the Mu variant, has already been detected in 39 countries, including the U.S. in all but three states," said Dr. Mark Cameron, immunologist and medical researcher at the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.
"What we don't know quite yet is what the potential impact would be in those affected," Cameron said.
Mu has a mixture of mutations, and that’s the concern, Cameron said. That the mixture will be able to surpass the protections provided by vaccines. It’s unclear if it's as spreadable as Delta.
There are hundreds and hundreds of variants of the virus, so there is a lot of potential for new strains to emerge that could affect us. These mutations happen over time, he said. "As we get further and further away from the virus we knew a year ago, the ability of the virus as part of this growing family tree to pick up mutations that continue to surprise us."
CDC experts are "keeping an eye" on the Mu variant, Dr. Anthony Fauci said at a White House press briefing last week.
"It is really seen here, but it is not at all close to being dominant. As you know the Delta variant is 99 percent dominant [here]," he said. "Not to downplay [the Mu variant], but remember - even when you have variants that diminish the efficacy of vaccines, the vaccines are still effective."
Fauci and CDC Director Rochelle Wolensky said the vaccine is the number one step to keeping the coronavirus from spreading as it continues to mutate.
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