Mu Variant of Covid-19 Confirmed in USVI

Department of Health Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Tai Hunte-Ceasar confirmed the presence of the Mu variant of Covid-19 in the U.S. Virgin Islands during the Bryan administration's weekly Covid-19 press briefing Tuesday.

According to the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), the largest database of novel coronavirus genome sequences in the world, as of Sept. 3rd, 2000 cases of the Mu variant had been detected in the U.S., with the most cases being recorded in New York, California, Florida and Texas.

“The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape,” the World Health Organization said in a statement last week Tuesday. The statement raised concerns that the variant may be more resistant to vaccines compared to other strains. However, the WHO added, “But this needs to be confirmed by further studies."