The World Health Organization has designated Mu as a variant of interest for a new coronavirus strain.
Mu, also known as B.1.6211, was first discovered in Colombia. Other cases have been reported in South America, Europe, and the Middle East.
According to the WHO's weekly bulletin, the variant could be more resistant than Beta to vaccines. However, more research is needed to confirm this.
It stated that there had been some sporadic reports of Mu variant cases in Colombia since January 2021. Other countries in South America and Europe have also reported larger outbreaks.
Despite the decline in global prevalence of the Mu variant in sequenced cases, it is still below 0.1%. However, its prevalence has remained constant in Colombia (39%), and Ecuador (13%).
We will monitor for any changes in the epidemiology of South America's Mu variant, especially when it is co-circulated with the Delta variant.
According to the WHO, there are four variants of coronavirus that are of concern. The Alpha variant was first identified in Kent, England. Gamma and Delta were seen in 91, 141, and Delta in 170. Mu is the fifth variant of concern.
