Covid-19: The new ‘Mu variant’ found more resistant to immunity from vaccines

A new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Mu (B.1.621) which has been categorized as the variant of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization (WHO), has found more resistant to immunity from vaccines and previous infections. However, experts states that more studies needed to confirm these findings and it is very unlikely that Mu variant get graduated as Variant of Concern. Instead it will remain as variant of interest(VOI).

In a White House COVID-19 Response Team briefing, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, further explained: “This variant has a constellation of mutations that suggest that it would evade certain antibodies, not only monoclonal antibodies but vaccine and convalescent serum-induced antibodies. But there isn’t a lot of clinical data to suggest that — it is mostly laboratory, in vitro data.”

“Not to downplay it, [but] even when you have variants that do diminish somewhat the efficacy of a vaccine, the vaccines still are quite effective against variants of that type,” Fauci added.

However, Medical News Today has reported quoting Dr. William Schaffner, M.D., professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, that it is very unlikey that the Mu variant (B.1.621) would graduate to be a variant of concern. Instead, according to him, it will remain as a variant of interest.

“So, from the point of view of contagiousness, Mu does not appear to be a major problem. It also doesn’t appear, as far as we know at the present time, to cause more severe disease,” Dr. Schaffner said.

The Mu variant (B.1.621) originated in Colombia in January 2021.

The WHO weekly epidemiological update Trusted Source, which the organization published on August 31, 2021, showed that some countries in Europe and Colombia witnessed larger outbreaks of the Mu variant, with only a few sporadic cases occurring elsewhere. Although the prevalence of the Mu variant is currently less than 0.1% globally, it has consistently increased in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%).

According to CDC Nowcast date ending the week of September 11, a 0.1% total prevalence of the Mu variant was found in the U.S.