Amid the rapid surge of Omicron cases across the globe, a new coronavirus variant called ‘IHU’ has emerged in France.
According to reports, the B.1.640.2 variant was discovered at the institute IHU Mediterranee Infection. Researchers believe that it contains 46 mutations, more than the Omicron variant of COVID-19.
The new variant has been associated with the African country Cameroon. France has reported at least 12 cases of this variant.
US epidemiologist and health economist Eric Feigl-Ding took to Twitter and informed about the variant. “These observations show once again the unpredictability of the emergence of new #SARSCoV2 variants and their introduction from abroad, and they exemplify the difficulty to control such introduction and subsequent spread.”
The variant can be identified using careful PCR analysis of signals that are different from Delta and Omicron.
However, Feigl-Ding has highlighted that ”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.”
