The World Health Organization says it’s monitoring a new COVID-19 variant that scientists believe could potentially evade protection by either vaccination or natural infection.

Dubbed “Mu,” with the scientific label of B.1.621, the mutation has been found in at least 39 countries. It has what the WHO described as a “constellation of mutations” that could bypass current vaccine effectiveness. The agency is monitoring several variants “of concern” that could mutate to the point that they become “more dangerous than other strains,” according to CNBC.

The WHO maintains a working list of variants of concern (VOC) and variants of interest (VOI) that they are watching. The naming of the variants with Greek alphabet names is intentional to make referencing them “easier and more practical” for “non-scientific audiences,” the WHO says.

SOURCES:

CNBC September 1, 2021

WHO Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Variants