New COVID Variant Found in Wisconsin

Sunday, September 19th, 2021 -- 11:00 AM

(WBAY) The delta variant of the COVID-19 virus continues to have a stranglehold on Wisconsin’s coronavirus cases, but there’s a new weed in the garden.

Out of the 180 random samples from the week of August 23 tested by the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, there was one case of the mu variant, or 0.56% of the samples tested from that week.

The mu variant was first identified in Colombia in January, where it was eventually responsible for almost 40% of new coronavirus cases, and outbreaks of this variant were detected in South America and Europe. It’s also been seen in other states.

The World Health Organization added mu to its list of Variants of Interest two weeks ago, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention merely has it on its radar.

There are concerns the mu variant is resistant to vaccines and immunity derived from a prior COVID-19 infection, but health experts say more real-world data is needed. It’s been around for 9 months but has not spread like the wildfire that is the delta variant.

The delta mutation has been the dominant strain of coronavirus in Wisconsin for 11 weeks. It’s highly contagious and creates a high viral load in both vaccinated and unvaccinated people -- the difference is how effectively their bodies fight the COVID-19 disease.

As we reported this week, people who aren’t fully vaccinated were 9 times more likely to occupy a hospital bed and 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 in August. The vaccinated are far more likely to have mild or no symptoms.

Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.