Insider reported that a new COVID-19 variant, called Mu, might be able evade vaccine-induced immunity.
According to Outbreak.info data, the Mu variant was detected in 47 US states as well as the District of Columbia.
According to data, only Nebraska, Vermont, South Dakota and South Dakota have yet to find a case.
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According to Outbreak.info data, a new variant of COVID-19 has been identified in nearly every state. It is believed that it could evade immunity.
The B.1.621 strain, also known as Mu, was first discovered in Colombia in January 2012. Newsweek first reported that the strain has been found in 47 states and the District of Columbia as of September 4.
According to Outbreak.info data, the only states with reported cases are South Dakota, Vermont, and Nebraska.
The strain is most common in Alaska right now, with data suggesting that 4 percent of 3,837 sequenced samples are from Alaska.
California has the highest raw number of cases, according to data. There are 232 reported cases for the B.1.621 variant of 139.930 sequenced. This represents less than 1% of all samples.
The Mu variant is less than 1% of all COVID-19 cases. In the US, the dominant variant is the Delta.
Mu was added to WHO's "of concern" list earlier this week.
Anthony Fauci, President Joe Biden’s chief medical officer, stated Thursday that the Mu variant was not an "immediate danger" to the US.
Fauci stated that this variant contains a number of mutations that suggest it could evade certain antibodies. This includes monoclonal antibodies as well as vaccine- and convalescent-induced antibodies. But there aren't many clinical data to support that. He said that it is mostly laboratory-in-vitro data.
Fauci stated that health officials "keep a very close watch" on the situation.
Insider's Cheryl Teh reported that the WHO had noted in its weekly bulletin, that further research would be needed on the mutant variant to determine if it could evade immune defenses against COVID-19.
