IHU: New Covid Variant Discovered in France

• A new Covid variant with 46 mutations has been discovered by scientists in France

• The variant named “IHU” was found in a traveler that recently arrived in the country after a three-day stay in Cameroon

• Researchers are currently examining the strain to ascertain how infectious it is but everyone has been urged to remain calm

As the world struggles to come to terms with the effect of the Omicron variant, a new Covid variant has been identified in France, causing worries.

The new strain named IHU is the B.1.640.2 variant and it has 46 mutations. Authorities have reported that 12 people living in southeastern France have been infected with the new strain already.
The first case was discovered in a person that had a recent travel history to Cameroon, according to researchers in a paper that was published on medRxiv. The person was fully vaccinated.

Experts have however been quick to shut down worries stating that just because a new variant exists doesn’t mean that it will be as infectious as other strains like Omicron.
In the analysis that was released, scientists found 46 mutations of the strain which has been identified by other countries or labeled a variant by the WHO.

Researchers are currently analyzing the strain to find how infectious it is or if it poses any real danger.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, WHO incident manager, Abdi Mahamud stated that the virus has had a lot of chances to spread but discoveries so far indicate that it hasn’t.

Follow Naija.fm on our social media handles Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to keep up with trending news, breaking news, entertainment news, and hot gist.