A new coronavirus strain has been declared a "variant of interest" by the World Health Organization.
The variant known as "mu" – or B.1.621 – was added to the organization's growing list of variants of interest earlier this week. Mu has the potential to evade immunity provided by a previous COVID-19 infection or vaccination, WHO said in the COVID-19 epidemiological report.
The new variant was first identified in Colombia but has since been detected in at least 39 countries.
Based on genetic mutations, WHO warned that current vaccines and monoclonal antibody treatments may not work as well against mu as they do against the original coronavirus or other strains.
The mu variant "has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," the report stated.
A main concern of scientists and public health officials is to verify if the new variant is more deadly or transmissible than the dominant delta variant of the coronavirus. However, according to WHO, "more studies are required to understand the phenotypic and clinical characteristics of this variant."
Over 30 cases of the variant have been detected in the United Kingdom, as reported by The Guardian. "Most" cases were confirmed in people in their 20s living in London, with some testing positive after a two-dose vaccine.
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