YORK, Pa. — Health officials continue to keep their eye on a new COVID-19 variant that the World Health Organization (WHO) is identifying as the Mu variant.
According to officials, the Mu variant has been detected in 49 states and 42 countries. They say the only state that hasn't seen it yet is Nebraska.
The strain was actually first identified back in January, in Columbia. It's since been added to the WHO's "variants of interest" list. What that means is, WHO officials have identified this strain to potentially affect Mu's transmissibility and disease severity. They say it also could be responsible for outbreaks over time.
Two states are currently seeing more signs of the Mu variant: Alaska and Hawaii. WHO officials say there are also some sporadic outbreaks in South America and Europe. However nationwide, the variant has only been found in less than 1% of samples.
Leading Infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci, says the Mu variant is not an immediate threat, and the Delta variant currently presents over 99% of COVID cases.
According to a WHO report, the Mu variant is currently showing signs of evading the COVID-19 vaccine protection.
Health officials say they will continue to monitor the Mu variant to see if it becomes dominant.