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As the world rushes to counter Omicron strain, a new Coronavirus variant has emerged in France. The variant ‘IHU’ is presumed to be linked with travel to the African nation of Cameroon. While there are fears of greater vaccine resistance, the variant does not appear to be spreading rapidly. Presently, the variant ‘IHU’ is not under the investigation of the World Health Organisation. Top epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding has underlined that new strains are being found, but it doesn’t mean that they’ll be more dangerous. The pre-print on B.1.640.2, which cites 46 mutations, states ‘it’s too early to speculate about virological features’, in the video published on Jan 4, 2022, “IHU: New COVID variant with 46 mutations detected in France amid Omicron scare | Explained“, below:

A new COVID-19 variant has been discovered in France. It is called IHU, in the video published on Jan 4, 2022, “What is the IHU variant?” below:

Scientists in France have discovered a new strain of Coronavirus that is believed to be more infectious than the highly transmissible Omicron variant. Scientists at the Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU) first discovered the new variant on December 10, 2021. The new strain has been dubbed as B.1.640.2. or IHU. According to a research paper published on medRxiv, the new variant is more transmittable and vaccine-resistant than the existing Omicron variant, news agency Sputnik reported. The IHU variant is said to have 46 mutations and 37 deletions. At least 12 cases of the new variant have been reported near Marseilles, with reports indicating that majority of the victims were hospitalized. The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) has been much higher in demand in southern France owing to the new variant, in the video published on Jan 4, 2022, “What Is IHU? COVID-19 Variant Said To Be More Infectious Than Delta | English News”, below: 

A new Covid variant with 46 mutations has been detected in France. The B.1.640.2 variant, named the “IHU” variant by researchers, was first spotted in southern France and is linked to travel to Cameroon, according to a pre-print study. Researchers based at the IHU Mediterranee hospital in Marseille said the new variant was linked to a vaccinated man who had recently returned from Cameroon to his home in south-eastern France, in the video published on Jan 5, 2022, “IHU variant: New Covid strain with more mutations than Omicron detected in France“, below:

The World Health Organization urged the public not to worry prematurely about the IHU variant, also known as B.1.640.2, a highly mutated strain of the coronavirus first identified in France November 4 and whose properties remain mostly unknown to researchers, in the video published on Jan 5, 2022, “Here’s Why You Shouldn’t Worry About IHU-The New Covid Variant in France-Yet, WHO Says“, below:

Pfizer and Moderna, initiated clinical trials with Omicron-based vaccines, in the video published on Fev 2, 2022, “Are omioron vaccines needed“, below: