The World Health Organization said it is monitoring another new variant COVID-19 with mutations that the agency fears could make it resistant to vaccines.
The Mu variant, also known as B.1.621, was added on Monday as a “variant of interest” to the organization’s watch list.
“The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential immune leakage properties,” the bulletin said.
Preliminary data indicated that it could bypass vaccines in a similar way to the beta variant, but experts said more research needs to be done on the strain.
Since it first appeared in Colombia in January 2021, the Mu variant has appeared in at least 39 countries.
“Although the overall prevalence of the Mu variant among the sequenced cases has decreased and is currently below 0.1%, the prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador
(13%) has steadily increased, ”the agency said, though it added that the rise could be due to an increase in genetic sequencing.
Concerns about the new strain arise as the highly contagious Delta variant has caused growth in cases around the world.