The Mu variant of COVID-19 is in BC Here’s what you need to know

Dozens of cases of the Mu COVID-19 variant (recently declared as the variant of interest) have been identified in British Columbia.

According to BC Center for Disease Control’s Latest weekly updates For the mutant strains of concern and the mutant strains of interest, 46 Mu cases have been detected since June, including the two most recent weeks.

Even before the World Health Organization declared the B.1.621 mutant to be of interest and named it Mu on August 30, the BC Center was monitoring it through a whole genome sequencing system. BC will further analyze all positive COVID-19 test results to see if they are a variant of concern, a variant of interest, or a new variant.

Today, the highly contagious variant of Delta’s concern that is sweeping the world accounts for nearly 100% of all cases in British Columbia. Other variants of concern (gamma, beta, alpha, etc.) are currently rarely present in the state.

Mu variants are relatively few in British Columbia, but worth paying attention to. There are some things you need to know.

What is a Mu variant?

This is the version of the coronavirus that has caused isolated outbreaks in South America, Europe, and the United States since it was first identified in Colombia in January.

The World Health Organization listed it as a “mutant of interest” last month because of concerns that it could reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments, but more evidence is needed.

Scientists monitor new COVID-19 mutants based on suspicious genetic changes and look for evidence to determine if the new version is more infectious or causes more serious illness. The virus is constantly evolving and many new variants often disappear.

So far, Mu variants do not appear to be spreading rapidly. It accounts for less than 1% of COVID-19 cases worldwide. In Colombia, it can account for about 39 percent of cases. Most countries continue to be concerned about highly contagious delta variants. It is the predominant variant in almost all of the 174 countries detected.

Where did you find it?

Authorities are tracking mu variants in Europe and have been found in about 12 countries. The French Ministry of Health recently said that Mu variants “do not seem to have increased recently” throughout Europe.

According to a report from the UK Public Health Agency last month, the mu mutant may be as resistant to the vaccine as the nasty beta mutant first seen in South Africa, but more realistic data are available. Said it was necessary.

WHO officials said Mu variants appear to be on the rise in some South American countries, but delta variants are still much easier to spread.

“It’s interesting to us because of the combination of mutations, but it doesn’t seem to be circulating,” said Maria Van Kerkhove of WHO.

The United States is “paying attention to it,” but it is not considered an imminent threat, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, a top US infectious disease expert.

What threat does the Mu variant pose in BC?

In British Columbia, the Mu variant represents a very small number of new cases. Dr. Sarah Otto of the University of British Columbia’s Faculty of Zoology said Mu was only officially designated in August but has been in circulation in the state for a long time.

To date, 46 mutations have been identified in BC, and she states that 6 of these cases were “reported from sequencing performed by the end of June.”

Nationwide, “The percentage of cases caused by Mu is [a] Low [percentage] For a long time, “she said. “If I had to choose one, [it] It shows a recent decline. “

And while Mu “better avoids the” first “step of the immune response (neutralizing antibodies),” Otto has a higher transmission rate than Delta, or “can avoid everything.” There is no evidence that it is “quite sexy”. Of the other steps of our immune response (cell-mediated immunity). “

Dr. Jeffrey Joy, an assistant professor at UBC School of Medicine, also emphasized this point. He said the strain “has a variety of mutations that have been found in the laboratory to evade the immune response more than many other variants of SARS-CoV-2,” but the delta variant.

“At this point, it’s a bit early to say what threat it poses to BC,” he said. “But it’s not expected to spread faster than the Delta variant.”

— Vancouver files are great, Associated Press with Canadian news outlets

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