COVID-19 Variant Named IHU With 46 Mutations Found in France

Another COVID-19 variant has been discovered in France, and this one has 46 mutations ,which is reportedly more than the current Omicron variant surging across the globe.

According to Newsweek, the variant, which is named B.1.640.2, colloquially being called IHU because the team that found it works at Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute, was discovered in an area near Marseille where 12 people were infected. The World Health Organization is currently connecting cases back to Cameroon one of the people who contracted the variant visited the African country. WHO has yet to name the new strain a variant of interest or concern but it is being investigated.

However, despite the wave of new reports about B.1.640.2, IHU isn’t exactly new. It has actually been around since at least November. A virologist from the Imperial College in London also noted on Twitter that IHU predates the Omicron variant.

The findings of IHU have also not been peer-reviewed yet, which means other scientists have yet to look over the work that has been done. Ultimately, healthcare officials do not believe IHU is a significant enough threat to be panicking about right now.