What Is the IHU Variant, the Newest COVID-19 Strain?
A genetic analysis of the variant found that it contains 46 mutations and 37 deletions from the original SARS-CoV-2. Of those, there are 14 amino acid substitutions and nine deletions on the spike protein, which is what SARS-CoV-2 uses to latch onto your cells.
There are also some concerns that the mutations “may change biologic properties in terms of allowing it to become more transmissible than other variant,” Dr. Russo says. But not everyone is worried about IHU. Abdi Mahamud, a WHO incident manager on COVID-19, said during aon Tuesday that while IHU “has been on our radar,” it hasn’t done much since it was first detected. “That virus had a lot of chances to pick up,” Mahamud added.
The researchers behind the original paper on IHU even said that it’s “too early to speculate” on what this variant might do based on the 12 cases they studied.It doesn’t appear that way. IHU “predates Omicron and has not spread widely,” points out infectious disease expert Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
By comparison, the Omicron variant was first detected on November 9—after the IHU variant—reported to the WHO on November 24, and named a variant of concern by the
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Coronavirus: New COVID-19 variant I.H.U. is not concerning to WHOThe new variant, I.H.U., is not a current worry, the WHO is saying.
Read more »
New COVID-19 variant named IHU discovered in FranceA new COVID-19 variant named IHU has been detected in France
Read more »
New COVID variant discovered in France nicknamed IHUAccording to a report, a World Health Organization official said at a news briefing Tuesday that another COVID-19 type has infected a dozen people in France and is on the agency's radar.
Read more »
COVID-19 Omicron Variant Making 'Real Impact' In Texas ChildrenTexas Children’s Hospital in Houston is now treating 70 pediatric patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Read more »
The COVID-19 Omicron VariantAnswers to questions about the Omicron variant of COVID-19, including symptoms, how fast it spreads, and how more severe it is than previous variants.
Read more »
COVID-19 scams: How to prevent buying fake COVID testsIf you end up falling victim to a scam, you can report it to the FTC. Find out how.
Read more »