Variant Of COVID-19 Mu Appears In South America To Europe, Government Monitors Mobility From Overseas

Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force Wiku Adisasmito (Presidential Secretariat Youtube)

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, responded to the emergence of the COVID-19 B1621 variant or Mu variant.

Wiku said that the Mu variant was first discovered in Colombia on August 31 last. This variant is included in the variant of interest (VoI) classification. Currently, its distribution has been found in several other countries in South America and Europe.

"VoI status is given to the variant being observed to be able to conclude that this variant is more infectious than the original variant", said Wiku in a virtual press conference, Thursday, September 2.

In being aware of the entry of the Mu variant into Indonesia, Wiku said the government continues to monitor the movement of travelers who come from abroad to within the country itself.

"Although currently conditions tend to be normal and the opening of several sectors is also gradually being carried out, the government continues to try to monitor domestic and foreign mobility with great caution", he said.

The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was monitoring a variant of the new coronavirus known as Mu, which was first identified in Colombia in January.

Mu, scientifically known as B.1,621, has been classified as a 'variant of concern', the global health agency said Tuesday in its weekly pandemic bulletin.

The WHO said the variant had mutations that indicated a risk of resistance to the vaccine, stressing more research was needed to better understand it.

"The Mu variant has a constellation of mutations that exhibit potential immune evasion properties", the WHO bulletin said, citing CNA.

There is widespread concern over the emergence of new viral mutations, as rates of re-infection are rising globally, with the Delta variant being highly contagious, especially among the unvaccinated and in regions where anti-viral measures have been relaxed.