New one coronavirus The variant known as “mu”, first identified in Colombia in January, is now the country’s dominant strain and behind its deadliest pandemic wave, a health official said on Thursday.
The variant was responsible for Colombia’s deadly third infection wave between April and June, health official Marcela Mercado told a local radio station. During this period, with about 700 deaths per day, nearly two-thirds of those who died tested positive for the mu variant, she said.
“It is already in more than 43 countries and has shown high infectivity,” he said. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization declared Mu, scientific name B.1.621, as the “variant of interest”. Further study was needed to better understand the risk of resistance to vaccines and this.
“The mu variant contains a constellation of mutations that indicate potential evading immunity,” the agency said.
There is widespread concern over the emergence of new variants as infection rates tick up globally, with highly transmissible delta variants taking hold, especially in the uninfected and in areas where anti-virus measures have been relaxed.
All viruses that cause COVID-19, including SARS-CoV-2, mutate over time and most changes have little or no effect on the properties of the virus.
But some mutations can change how easily the virus spreads, the severity of the disease it causes, or its resistance to vaccines and drugs. The WHO lists four coronavirus variants of concern, including alpha present in 193 countries and delta in 170.
Colombia has recently counted around 100 Covid-19 deaths and 2,000 infections per day on average. Less than a third of Colombians have been vaccinated against the virus, which has so far claimed nearly 125,000 lives in the country.
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