WHO monitoring new Mu coronavirus variant

Singapore reports 177 new locally transmitted cases; 90 unlinked - highest recorded in a day so far

Sep 02, 2021

Geneva, Singapore

AFP - THE World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is monitoring a new coronavirus variant known as "Mu", which was first identified in Colombia in January.

Mu, known scientifically as B.1.621, has been classified as a "variant of interest", the global health body said on 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.

There is widespread concern over the emergence of new virus mutations as infection rates are ticking up globally again, with the highly transmissible Delta variant taking hold - especially among the unvaccinated - and in regions where anti-virus measures have been relaxed.

All viruses, including Sars-CoV-2 that causes Covid-19, mutate over time and most mutations have little or no effect on the properties of the virus.

But certain mutations can impact the properties of a virus and influence how easily it spreads, the severity of the disease it causes, and its resistance to vaccines, drugs and other countermeasures.

The WHO currently identifies four Covid-19 variants of concern, including Alpha, which is present in 193 countries, and Delta, present in 170 countries.

Five variants, including Mu, are to be monitored.

After being detected in Colombia, Mu has since been reported in other South American countries and in Europe.

The WHO said its global prevalence has declined to below 0.1 per cent among sequenced cases. In Colombia, however, it is at 39 percent.

Separately, Singapore reported 177 new locally transmitted coronavirus cases reported by the Ministry of Health (MOH) in its daily update on Wednesday.

Of these, 90 were unlinked cases - the highest recorded in a day so far.

Among the new cases, 54 were linked to previous cases and were already quarantined, while another 33 linked cases were detected through surveillance.

Among the cases is a senior aged above 70 who is partially vaccinated and at risk of serious illness.

There were also three imported cases that were detected and placed on stay-home notice or isolated upon arrival in Singapore. All of them developed the illness while in isolation or serving stay-home notice.

In total, there were 180 new Covid-19 cases in Singapore on Wednesday, bringing the country's total to 67,800.