Just when the world has slowly started grappling with the impact of the super-spreader Omicron variant, scientists in France have detected a new Covid-19 variant. Yes, our worst fears have come true. A new Covid-19 variant named IHU has been discovered in France and it’s believed to be more infectious than the Omicron strain. Read on to know more.
IHU Covid-19 Variant Discovered In France
A more mutated strain of IHU has been detected by the academics and scientists at IHU Mediterranee Infection. According to researchers, this new Covid-19 variant has 46 mutations that’s much more than Omicron. So, this new variant is touted to be more infectious than Omicron and also more resistant to vaccines. While Omicron is still the dominant variant in France, 12 new cases of IHU have been found near Marseilles. These cases have occurred due to patients having prior travel history to the African nation Cameroon.
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Further Investigations To Detect If This Variant Is Dangerous
Currently, the B.1.640.2 or IHU hasn’t been found or labelled in any other countries as per the investigation by the World Health Organisation. But the IHU variant’s concern is rapidly looming over France. A long Twitter thread by epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding reveals that while new Covid-19 variants continue to emerge, they may not necessarily be more dangerous. In his words, the reason a variant is more dangerous is in its ability to multiply due to a number o mutations that are in relation to the original virus. So, it still needs to be analysed if the new variant IHU will fall in the dangerous category.
6) There are scores of new variants discovered all the time, but it does not necessarily mean they will be more dangerous. What makes a variant more well-known and dangerous is its ability to multiply because of the number of mutations it has in relation to the original virus.
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) January 3, 2022