(ABC News) — The World Health Organization is tracking a new variant of interest as it monitors the evolution of the virus that causes COVID-19 — it’s called the Mu variant.
First detected in Colombia at the start of the year, Mu has been reported in sporadic outbreaks in parts of South America and Europe.
But it hasn’t taken hold the way the Delta variant has, and experts say it shouldn’t be a major worry for Australians.
While it accounts for only a small slice of global cases, scientists are studying whether it could have properties that would help it get past immune protections built up by vaccination or past infection.
Here’s what we know about the Mu strain of SARS-CoV-2. (…)