A new variant of the coronavirus has reportedly been discovered in France.
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While Omicron barely reveals its secrets and allows hope for control of the epidemic, a new variant is already invited to the party. Here is what we know.
The virus mutates, it’s normal
B.1.640.2 is the barbaric name of the new variant. Perhaps he too will have his Greek letter. It has been classified as a “variant under surveillance” by the World Health Organization. This virus mutation was discovered in a person in southern France returning from Cameroon. The traveler is said to have infected at least twelve people.
Virologist Steven Van Gucht gave an interview on the subject to The last news. For him, there is no reason to panic. It is quite normal for the virus to mutate. “As long as a mutation doesn’t win out over Omicron or Delta, there’s not much to worry about. We also have other variants in Belgium. Sometimes these are strange variants that you only see once. This is perfectly normal. It doesn’t mean anything in itself. The virus continues to mutate. New variants appear here and there every week or every month. This is the nature of the virus, but in this case, we have nothing to fear ”, assures the virologist.
A variant known for several weeks
B.1.640.2 seems to have been detected for the first time in December in the commune of Forcalquier in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region, by experts from the IHU Méditerranée Infection in Marseille.
The new variant comes from the line of the B.1.640 variant identified in France at the end of October but detected for the first time in the Republic of Congo at the end of September 2021. It would present 46 new mutations as well as 37 deletions.
But let’s be careful. It is too early to draw any conclusions. It could be just one harmless variant among many. At the moment, it is circulating at very low levels. A very poor competitor against Delta and Omicron.
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