France has detected a new Covid-19 variant, the IHU. Reports say the variant is more infectious than Omicron.
The new variant dubbed B.1.640.2 is said to have been detected in 12 patients as at the 4th of January.
Discovered near Marseille, it contains 46 mutations making it very infectious and more resistant to vaccines.
According to FirstPost, discovery was announced in a paper posted on medRxiv.
This comes as the world still battles the uptick in Covid-19 cases owing to the Omicron variant.
Named generally as IHU, the variant was discovered by researchers based at the IHU Mediterranee Infection on December 10.
Information available so far and published in FirstPost:
- Some 12 cases have been spotted so far near Marseille, with the first linked to travel to Cameroon in African.
- Tests show the strain carries the N501Y mutation — first seen on the Alpha variant — that experts believe can make it more transmissible
- According to the scientists, it also carries the E484K mutation, which could mean that the IHU variant will be more resistant to vaccines.
- It is yet to be spotted in other countries or labelled a variant under investigation by the World Health Organization.
Omicron still remains the dominant Covid-19 variant in France, just like other European countries including the U K and Portugal which have recorded spiralling case numbers over the past few days.
France’s public health agency recently stated that “62.4% of tests showed a profile compatible with the Omicron variant.”
Read also:
5 Most Common Symptoms of Omicron
France Detects New Covid-19 Variant ‘IHU’