Cases of IHU low, variant not spreading far enough: Study

A study has found the new ‘IHU’ variant of Covid-19 which was discovered in France last month is not spreading far enough to be a major concern. The investigation of the strain is still in early stages and researchers have found little to raise concern, as per a report by Hindustan Times.

The study published in MedRxiv is yet to be peer-reviewed. Researchers said that “it is still early to speculate on the IHU variants as the number of cases is extremely low.”

The study has advised keeping an eye on the variant.

Also Read | 'IHU' a new Covid-19 variant? Here's what we know so far

This week, the World Health Organization (WHO) has also said that the IHU variant has not become much of a threat as of now. The variant was first identified in November and has been on WHO’s radar since. It has not been labelled a ‘variant under investigation’ by them.

The IHU variant has 46 mutations and 37 deletions in its genetic code, of which many affect the spike protein.

The variant is a sub-lineage of the B.1.640 and its discovery was announced by researchers from Méditerranée Infection in Marseille, part of France’s Instituts hospitalo-universitaires (IHU, or University Hospital Institutes) - hence the name. It has been classified as B.1.640.2, the report said.

According to outbreak.info, the B.1.640 is not a new variant, it was first detected on January 1, 2021, and 400 infections have been identified till now.

For now, the focus is on the Omicron variant which is leading to a surge in Covid-19 cases across the world.

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