Four Cases Of B.1.621 Covid Variant Identified In Ireland.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) has confirmed that four cases of the Mu or B.1.621 variant of Covid have been identified in Ireland.

The World Health Organisation (WHO), to date, has designated this fifth strain of coronavirus as a ‘variant of interest’ but not a ‘variant of concern’. However, they have stated that the variant does have a constellation of mutations, which could make it more vaccine resistant than other strains of the virus currently in circulation, adding that further studies will be needed to confirm any concerns.

The variant, to date, has been recorded in 39 other countries and health authorities are currently trying to determine whether it is more resistant to vaccination than other known strains of coronavirus.

Since it was first identification in Colombia in January 2021, there have been a few sporadic reports of cases of the Mu variant and some larger outbreaks have been reported countries in South America and in Europe.

The Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC) report that these 4 cases were recorded before the end of August.