The fast-spreading delta variant remains the “most concerning” coronavirus strain despite the emergence of the mu variant, World Health Organization officials said Tuesday.
The mu variant, which was added to the WHO’s list of variants “of interest” last week, has mutations that suggest it could evade the immune protection provided by natural infection or vaccination, Maria Van Kerkhove, the agency’s technical lead for Covid-19, said during a virtual press event. Still, the new variant — first detected in Colombia but now confirmed in at least 39 countries — hasn’t taken off like delta, she said.
“The delta variant for me is the one that’s most concerning because of the increased transmissibility,” Kerkhove said, adding it has at least double the transmissibility of the original ancestral virus that emerged in late 2019.
Mu Covid variant: WHO says delta remains '''most concerning'''