MU Variant
Newly classified by WHO as a SARS -CoV-2 variant of interest. Where is it circulating?
In round of assessments on August 30, the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified yet another SARS-CoV-2 variant— B.1.621
—as a variant of interest (VOI)
and given it the label “Mu”. The WHO is monitoring the variant's epidemiology in South
America. AVOI is classified based on factors such as genetic changes that are predicted or known
to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape etc. AVOI represents a lower level of concern
than a variant of concern (VOC) such as Alpha, Beta or Delta, which
are associated with factors such as an increase
in transmissibility or detrimental change in epidemiology, etc.
The WHO assessment said the Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape. “Since its 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 from other countries in South America and in Europe, ”it said. The global prevalence of the Mu variant among sequenced cases has declined and is currently below 0.1%, the WHO said. However, prevalence in Colombia (39%) and Ecuador (13%) has consistently increased.
The reported prevalence should be interpreted with due consideration of sequencing capacities and timeliness of sharing of sequences, both of which vary between countries, ”it said.“…The epidemiology of the Mu variant in South America, particularly with the co-circulation of the Delta variant, will be monitored for changes.
Double vaccination
halves risk of long Covid: study
A Study by researchers has
found that in the unlikely event of catching Covid after being double vaccinated,
the risk of long Covid-19 was reduced by almost half. There were also fewer hospitalisations
(73% less likely) and lower burden of acute symptoms (31% less likely) among those
fully vaccinated.
The researchers analysed data from participants logging their symptoms, tests and vac-cines on the UK ZOE COVID symptom study app between December 8, 2020 and July 4, 2021 including 1,240,009 (first dose) and 971,504 (second dose) vaccinated UK adults.
The nature of the most common symptoms were similar to unvaccinated adults—loss of smell, cough, fever, headaches and fatigue. All these were milder and less frequently re-ported by those vaccinated and they were half as likely to get multiple symptoms in the first week of illness.
Sneezing was the only symptom which was more commonly reported unvaccinated people with Covid-19. People living in most deprived areas were at greater risk of infection after a single vaccination. While age on its own was not a risk factor, individuals who had certain health conditions—such as frailty—were up to two times more likely to contract Covid infection after vaccination and of getting sick.
Study relates Covid deaths to amount of virus in lungs
A build up of coronavirus in the lungs
is likely behind the steep mortality rates seen in the pandemic
a new study has found. The results contrast with previous suspicions that
simultaneous infections such as bacterial pneumonia or over reaction of the body's immune defence system, played major roles in heightened risk
of death , according to the study.
The study found that people who died
of Covid-19 had on average 10 times the amount of virus in their lower air ways as did severely ill patients who
survived their illness. Mean while, the investigators found no evidence implicating
a secondary bacterial infection as the cause of the deaths, al-though they cautioned
that this may be due to the frequent course of antibiotics given to critically ill
patients.
Our findings suggest that the body's failure to cope with the large numbers of virus infecting the lungs is largely responsible for Covid-19
deaths in the pandemic, the release quoted study. The study was designed to clarify
the role of secondary infections, viral load, and immune cell populations in Covid-19
mortality. The study saying the investigation provides the most detailed survey
of the lower air way environment in patients with coronavirus.
The researchers collected bacterial and
fungal samples from the lungs of 589 men and women hospitalised in NYU Lang one
facilities. All required ventilation. For a sub set of 142 who also received a bronchoscopy
procedure to clear their air passages, the study analysed the amount of virus in
their lower airways. The study found that those who died had on average 50% lower
production of a type of immune chemical that targets the coronavirus, compared with
patients who survived.