- The World Health Organization (WHO), on August 30, listed Mu as a Variant of Interest (VOI), after it was first identified in Columbia.
- The new strain is the fifth VOI since March 2020 and has since been confirmed in at least 39 countries.
- Five cases were regionally confirmed between July 19 and August 9 in St. Vincent and Grenadines.
Although the Mu variant makes up less than 0.1 percent of COVID-19 cases globally, its prevalence in South America is rising, and currently makes up 39 percent of cases in Colombia and 13 percent in Ecuador.
Due to the detection of the Mu variant, travelers to Jamaica are being urged to adhere to quarantine measures to reduce the spread of new variants of the coronavirus (COVID-19).
Chief Medical Officer of Jamaica, Dr. Jacquiline Bisasor-McKenzie, said that the VOI designation implies that the variant has genetic differences compared to other known variants, causing infections in multiple countries and might present a threat to public health.
She pointed out that while all viruses evolve over time and most changes have little to no impact on the virus properties, “some changes to the SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID) lead to variants that may affect virus transmissibility, disease severity, and the efficacy of vaccines”.
“It is of concern because [it has the potential to] evade the body’s attempts to destroy the virus and to produce antibodies. Mu has mutations that might confirm some of these properties, but it is still being investigated,” she noted.
“This is also the reason why we will continue to have some سفر جي پابنديون on some countries. So, it is even more important for travelers to understand why it is that we impose quarantine measures. They need to stay at home to decrease the risk of exposure and be tested appropriately so that we can pick up if there is an infection,” she stressed.
Dr. Bisasor-McKenzie said that the Ministry will be monitoring the evolution of the Mu variant, even as it focuses on the Delta variant, which continues to be the predominant strain present in the island and is designed as a Variant of Concern (VOC) by the WHO.
“A VOC (means) that the mutations have occurred, and they are causing increased transmissibility. They have the potential to cause some change in the clinical disease presentation and they are doing that,” she pointed out.
Meanwhile, Dr. Tufton urged Jamaicans not to panic because of the presence of the new variant. He said that the Mu strain will be manageable once the established public health protocols are followed.
“This new strain is not going to lead to more people dying or getting ill. We are still studying it, and while we have an obligation to announce, we are not announcing for you to panic…it is for you to be aware; it is not a failure of the system or the process,” he pointed out.
He announced that a Genome Sequencing machine to test for new COVID-19 variants is expected to arrive on the island over the next two to three weeks.
He said that the acquisition means the Ministry will not have to send samples to be tested overseas.
The Ministry continues to urge Jamaicans to get vaccinated as soon as possible, while adhering to the recommended public health protocols, including social distancing, mask-wearing, and sanitizing of hands.
