WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named 'Mu'

[TheProle]

Source: AFP

The World Health Organization has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as "Mu", which was first identified in Colombia in January 2021.

Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, has been classified as a "variant of interest", the global health body said Tuesday in its weekly pandemic bulletin.

The WHO said the variant has mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to vaccines and stressed that further studies were needed to better understand it.

"The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape," the bulletin said.

Read more: https://www.france24.com/en/health/20210901-new-coronavirus-variant-mu-under-close-scrutiny-by-who

[I_UndergroundPanther]

1. Shit.

[BradAllison]

2. WTF n/m

[irisblue]

3. damn it

[a kennedy]

4. That's it, we're ALL GONNA DIE OF SOME DAMN TYPE OF COVID......19th was first,

and it’ll probably be the 100th version that does us all in, but damn it, it’s coming for us all.

[sprinkleeninow]

5. "Get thee behind us, satan!"

[Irish_Dem]

6. Jebus. There's no end in sight.

[druidity33]

7. variant of interest, not concern. nt.

[Moebym]

8. This thing is just never going to go away

Is it fair to call SARS-CoV-2 a superbug?

[tclambert]

19. So with Delta, the herd immunity threshold moved up to 90%

Except the vaccines are only 95% effective, so that means we need 94.7% vaccination rate to reach herd immunity. Except children under 12 aren't eligible for the vaccines yet, and they make up about 15% of the population. That means we can't get above 85% vaccinated.

Except anti-vaxxers have stalled us at, what, 53% fully vaccinated? And 11% have had the disease. So that's 64%, right? Except some who have had the disease also got vaccinated. I don't know how much overlap there is.

We WILL reach herd immunity. But 90 million more Americans may have to catch the disease. And arithmetic demands that a certain percentage of them will have to die.

But remember: "This is the best of all possible worlds." That's according to Leibnitz and he was really, really smart.

[Moebym]

26. Until physicists can find proof of there being parallel worlds or alternate universes

and we can invent time travel or create wormholes, we're stuck in this shithole reality.

[stillcool]

9. variant of interest....sounds a little cloak and dagger

I hope it reveals itself to the WHO before it goes on the lam.

[Initech]

12. I believe it goes - variant of interest, then variant of concern, then shit hits fan.

It takes a lot to get to "variant of concern". We're already at "shit hits fan" level with Delta. I don't know if any other variant will top Delta but anything is possible.

[Hugin]

33. What I learned from Delta is that some of the criteria for moving from VoI to VoC...

are lagging and by the time the level has taken note its too late.

The fan is blowing the crap all over the fancy dining room.

[cadoman]

10. it will continue to mutate and get deadlier until we have MANDATED vaccinations and masks

It needs to be forced. No more carrots! The scientific consensus has arrived and the policy mandates must follow.

And what a coincidence that this latest deadly variant is so close to Brazil and numskull right wing supremacist Bolsanaro?

[marie999]

13. But it can't be just a US mandate but a world wide mandate which won't happen.

[Delphinus]

15. Yes.

Until all are "safe", none are "safe".

[pansypoo53219]

11. the spanish flu didn't die til a bad flu in the 50's.

[bahboo]

14. well...this entire Covid has been a koan....(for the Zen folks)...

[RVN VET71]

17. If Buddha Mind is an iron cow, what is GOP Covid mind?

If you answer “Iron Cow” you get thirty hits with bamboo pole -- and a very upset iron cow.

[WheelWalker]

20. Nunes

[RVN VET71]

27. That's a koan in itself! Followed by a question: Why this?

Faced with such a koan and question, the master will retreat to the high mountain forest for 30 years of meditation and self-abnegation.

[WheelWalker]

18. The gate to enlightenment

[NEOBuckeye]

16. At least it's not OMEGA yet

That's the one to watch for...

[luvtheGWN]

21. Well, that WOULD be the end.......

[krkaufman]

22. The 'Mu' variant

Well that's certainly not going to help with getting the nutters to ease-up on the livestock dewormer.

[Delmette2.0]

24. LOL

As in moo variant.

[Joinfortmill]

23. Seems neverending.

[greenjar_01]

25. It's like a fraternity orientation up in here

[milestogo]

28. It comes from dairy cows.

No, not really.

[TheProle]

29. Fauci Weighs in on Mu

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on Thursday that the U.S. is taking the variant, dubbed Mu, "very seriously," but that it hasn't taken an extensive hold in this country.

"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 said the Mu variant, technically known as B.1.621, has mutations 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."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-mu-variant-health-officials/

[NurseJackie]

30. It's not a threat "right now" ... but unspoken: "perhaps later, so watch out!"

That's what I'm interpreting it to mean. Its ability to "evade certain antibodies" is very concerning and sounds like a serious threat to me.

[TheProle]

31. Mu in L.A.

https://deadline.com/2021/09/mu-variant-los-angeles-first-cases-new-covid-1234827340/

[KewlKat]

32. We will probably have a variant of what we call a variant of interest identified every few weeks,

"We will probably have a variant of what we call a variant of interest identified every few weeks," Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Tuesday. "Like that's how this virus works. Variants of interest just mean we've seen a number of the same genetic mutations emerge and scientists around the world are on the lookout for it every single time. A virus anywhere in the world gets this genetic sequence, it gets updated into a database that's shared internationally, so we can really see what's emerging. When a variant of interest emerges, it says, 'Oh, this is something we should watch a little bit.'"

A variant of concern is one in which "there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more severe disease (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduced effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or diagnostic detection failures," according to the CDC.

"Once we see a variant of interest clearly have an impact, meaning it is more contagious, it might be evading a treatment, it's clearly making people sicker - that makes it into a variant of concern," Arwady said.

[TheProle]

34. Mu now in 49 states

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/new-mu-covid-variant-now-found-in-49-u-s-states/ar-AAO9Uf6