St. Vincent reports 5 cases of latest Mu variant

Kingstown, Sep 9 (Prensa Latina) The Ministry of Health and Wellness in St. Vincent and the Grenadines has confirmed the presence of the Mu Covid-19 variant, Caribbean media outlets reported Wednesday.

September 9, 2021
07:42

In a media release, the health ministry said on review of sequencing results for samples sent from St. Vincent and the Grenadines to the Covid-19 IMPACT Project Lab through the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) five cases of the Mu variant were detected between July 19 and August 9, 2021.

Mu variant is more transmissible and capable of escaping from the immune response, which makes it more dangerous.

All cases were detected within the community as contacts of other positive cases and from persons seeking healthcare.

The Ministry of Health says in view of the confirmed presence of the Mu variant of interest in the community and the increased risk of infection and subsequent transmission of COVID-19 posed by the growing incidence of variants of concern in persons entering St Vincent and the Grenadines, strict compliance with all protocols and recommendations is strongly recommended.

The World Health Organization (WHO) on August 30, 2021, named the variant B.1.621 – Mu, a variant of interest.

pgh/Pll/mgt / dla/gdc