SARS-CoV-2 Mu variant

The Mu variant, also known as lineage B.1.621 or VUI-21JUL-1, is one of the variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in Colombia in January 2021 and was designated by the WHO as a variant of interest on August 30, 2021.[1] On 16 March 2022, the WHO has de-escalated the Mu variant and its subvariants to "previously circulating variants of concern".[2][3]

The WHO said the variant has mutations that indicate a risk of resistance to the current vaccines and stressed that further studies were needed to better understand it.[4][5] Outbreaks of the Mu variant were reported in South America and Europe.[6] The B.1.621 lineage has a sublineage, labeled B.1.621.1 under the PANGO nomenclature, which has already been detected in more than 20 countries worldwide.[7]

Under the simplified naming scheme proposed by the World Health Organization, B.1.621 was labeled "Mu variant", and was considered a variant of interest (VOI), but not a variant of concern.[1]

  1. ^ a b "Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants". who.int. World Health Organization. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  2. ^ "Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (updated 2022-03-16)". www.who.int. 2022-03-16. Archived from the original on 2022-03-17. Retrieved 2022-03-17.
  3. ^ "Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (updated 2022-03-07)". www.who.int. 2022-03-07. Archived from the original on 2022-03-15. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  4. ^ "WHO monitoring new coronavirus variant named 'Mu'". france24.com. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  5. ^ O'Neill, Luke (3 September 2021). "Mu: everything you need to know about the new coronavirus variant of interest". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-09-03.
  6. ^ "Why Has WHO Designated 'Mu' A Variant Of Concern? Find Out All About It". ndtv.com. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  7. ^ "Lineage B.1.621.1". cov-lineages.org. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.