In Colombia, the My variant is spreading quickly. Around 39 percent of all infections can be traced back to the new mutant, which has now also arrived in Europe. You can read here how dangerous the variant is and how well the previously approved vaccines protect.
Alpha, delta or lambda – in the past few months of the corona pandemic, new mutations of the virus have repeatedly appeared and spread. In Colombia, the My variant or Mu variant is currently predominant.
As reported by tagesschau.de , the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the Covid mutation as a “variant of interest”. Also known as B.1.621, the variant could indicate possible resistance to vaccines, according to the WHO. “The My variant has a constellation of mutations that recognize the risk of an immune-vasive trait.”
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My Variant: Resistant to Vaccines?
The variant first appeared in Colombia in January. In the meantime she has also performed in other South American countries and in Europe. In Colombia, 39 percent of the corona infections can be traced back to the My variant. The global distribution is currently only 0.1 percent. My was first detected in Germany in April, according to the weekly report (August 26) from the Robert Koch Institute. As the WHO writes in its weekly report , the corona variant carries numerous mutations so that it could evade immunity.
There are indications that the antibodies are less effective against My in those who have recovered or who have been vaccinated than was the case with previously known variants. Marco Cavaleri, Head of Vaccines Strategy at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), commented: “However, I have to say that we do not yet have data showing whether the My variant is spreading widely and whether it has a chance of becoming the dominant virus to overtake the delta variant as the predominant virus strain.”
Further studies are needed to clearly demonstrate this. It is also unclear whether the mutant is easier to transmit and whether it more often leads to severe disease progression.
Booster shot: Biontech’s new vaccine
The vaccine manufacturer Biontech/Pfizer is reacting to the new virus variants and wants to develop an approval for a third vaccination of their vaccine that is more effective against the contagious Delta variant. A third vaccination may be required six to 12 months after the second vaccination.
You can find an up-to-date overview of the third vaccination here .
