The next COVID variant after Delta: what you need to know
Even though we are certainly not in the clear with coronavirus, we at least had hope as people got vaccinated. Unfortunately, a large group of people continue to resist the vaccine, believing all the nonsense about the government controlling us or whatever the latest conspiracy says. An entire family resisted the vaccine because of what people were telling them and following a tragedy—the death of 19-year-old Breanna Gray in Texas—they have all now become vaccinated. Vice News reported on this death, as well as the fact that even as they fight for their lives, Covid patients are refusing the vaccine, which is just crazy. Now, we are not only doing battle with those who refuse the vaccine, but we are faced with a new variant: MU or B.1.621.
According to Washington Post, the MU variant was first detected in Columbia in January 2021. WHO reported that MU has been identified in 39 countries, including the U.S., which has 2,000 identified cases. Dr. Anthony Fauci said that MU is “not an immediate threat right now,” but the mere fact that there is yet another variant of Covid going around is frightening. The Delta variant remains the most common variant, but the nation’s top medical people are monitoring MU closely. The reason this variant is being so closely monitored is that, according to WHO, MU appears to be resistant to the vaccination. WHO described MU as having “a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” but they are studying this further to ensure accuracy. Dr. Fauci believes that until that additional research is secured, they cannot say with certainty that the vaccines will not combat this strain of Covid. Pfizer has begun the research, and a spokesperson for the company said they “see no evidence” that this variant will not be contained by the vaccine.
Also studying the MU variant is professor of infectious diseases at Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador, Paúl Cárdenas. Cárdenas explained that virus variants are common. They must be identified and tracked, but there is no reason to panic about MU. In fact, MU is the fifth variant of Covid, but the only variant that has proven more transmissible and dangerous is the Delta variant. The vaccine is effective against Delta, and that is even more reason that people need to get vaccinated sooner rather than later. As these variants continue to emerge, it is in our best interests to be vaccinated. People need to stop all the anti-vaccine talk, which does nothing but scare people away from getting the vaccine. It is despicable that some leaders try to bury the truth of vaccines and the dangers of Covid by tweaking their numbers to make Covid look less severe than it really is. It would be one thing if hiding numbers was helpful in some way, but beyond the fact that it could not possibly be helpful, it is discouraging people from getting the vaccination, which is the only thing that can ultimately help to eradicate this deadly virus.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years