More COVID Variants Appear, NIH Director Fauci Keeps Eye on Mu
Posted on 09/03/2021
Viruses are known to mutate over time as they spread. The coronavirus variant known as “Mu” or “B.1.621” was designated by the World Health Organization as a “variant of interest”. There is also the Lambda variant which has spread across South America. The delta variant (originally described as the Indian variant) of COVID remains the dominant coronavirus strain in the U.S. Mu has been detected sporadically in Colombia and first found their in January 2021. The U.S. sees four COVID variants of concern which include: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and Delta.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, commented on September 2, 2021, that the U.S. is taking the variant, dubbed Mu, “very seriously,” but that it hasn’t taken an extensive hold in America.
“We’re keeping a very close eye on it. It is really seen here, but it is not at all even close to being dominant,” Fauci said. “As you know, the Delta is more than 99% dominant.”
Fauci added, regardign to the Mu variant, suggesting “it would evade certain antibodies,” potentially including those from vaccines.
“But there isn’t a lot of clinical data to suggest that. It is mostly laboratory in vitro data,” he added. “…We don’t consider it an immediate threat right now.”
About 2,000 COVID Mu-variant cases have been identified in the United States, so far, according to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID).
Furthermore, Israel is working toward the vision of having a fourth round of the COVID vaccine as discussions have occurred with high-level Israeli health officials. Most nations are still working on their 2-dose COVID shots, while Israel already moved forward with the third shot.
COVID Variants
COVID-19 Original – China
Alpha Variant – B.1.1.7 – Found in U.K.
Beta Variant – B.1.315 – Found in South Africa
Gamma Variant – P.1 – First found in Japan and Brazil
Delta Variant – B.1.617.2 – India variant
Mu Variant – B.1.621
Lambda Variant – Spreading in South America
Other variants include Eta, Iota, and Kappa.