New COVID-19 Variant Spurs Concerns

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that a new strain of the coronavirus has been detected in many countries across the world.

Named Mu, the first case infected with the new variant was discovered in Colombia last January but has now been identified in 39 countries.

It has become a variant of interest that will be closely monitored, according to WHO.

Tests are set to take place to examine the efficacy of the available vaccines against the new variant.

The variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape, according to the World Health Organization’s weekly updates on the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the Delta variant has now been detected in 170 countries.

Concerns over Delta resulted from the strain being highly transmissible.

Last week, 4.4 million new cases were recorded, similar to the level of infections recorded in the prior week, while death cases were less than 68,000.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States has recommended that people who are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) should continue to wear masks in indoor public places, such as schools.

The recommendation is more focused on areas where the Delta variant is spreading.

This represented a policy reversal, as the mask-wearing was declining over the past couple of months, amid the increased vaccination and an expectation to return to normal, after the CDC eased the restriction in May.

In addition, the move taken by U.S. health authorities comes despite other countries, such as France and the U.K., lifting the mandatory wearing of masks in public spaces.

It is primarily attributed to the increase in the number of new infections, most of which with the Delta variant of the virus, as well as mixed results by the used vaccines against the variant.