Mu variant: What you should to know

Discovered at the beginning of the year, the COVID-19 variant is officially a ‘variant of interest’

Continuing the practice of naming COVID-19 variants after Greek alphabet letters, the mu variant is being referred to more and more in the media.

First discovered in Columbia, South America, in January 2021, the mu variant has since been confirmed as being responsible for outbreaks in South America, Europe and the United States.

Those outbreaks, though, have been isolated, and the mu variant accounts for less than 1 percent of the COVID-19 cases worldwide.

When compared to the rapidly spreading delta variant, which is responsible for the sharp increase in cases over the summer of 2021, the mu variant hasn’t been shown to be more contagious or lead to more severe cases.

The delta variant is still the dominant variant in more than 170 countries across the world.

The World Health Organization, however, has listed the mu variant as a ‘variant of interest’ because of the fact that it is a combination of mutations of the original coronavirus.

This has led to concerns that the vaccines and treatment options may be less effective against the mu variant, but more data and further investigation is needed and underway.