NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — The concerning mu variant of COVID-19 that has been sparking fears of vaccine resistance and increased infections appears to have been eradicated in the United States.
According to data from the virus tracking website Outbreak.info, the mu variant has accounted for 0% of COVID-19 cases in the United States since Sept. 15. Since then, there have been no confirmed cases of the variants found.
A total of 4,833 sequences of the mu variant had been detected in the U.S. since the mutation was discovered, according to the site.
The World Health Organization labeled the mutation as a “variant of interest” in August, saying it had the potential to threaten public health if it was not brought under control. It’s low case rate kept it from being labels a “variant of concern,” such as the delta variant.
WHO’s Maria Van Kerkhove told The Associated Press earlier this month that the organization was keeping an eye on the mutation, but it did not “seem to be circulating.”
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top infection disease specialist in the nation, also told AP that the variant no longer seemed to be “an immediate threat.”
Cases of the mu variant was discovered in nearly every U.S. state at one point, and the variant peaked in the country on June 21, when it accounted for nearly 3% of the total cases in the nation, according to Outbreak.info data.
The strain was detected in Colombia in January. It has since spread to 40 different countries.
Most countries continue to be more concerned about the highly contagious delta variant, which accounts for 16% of all COVID-19 cases worldwide.
In the United States, the variant account for 53% of cases as of Sept. 20.
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