The Guardian reports on a new “variant of interest”, labelled Mu
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/01/who-monitoring-new-coronavirus-variant-named-mu
Mu may turn out to be a problem if it is more transmissible than Alpha or Delta, and/or can evade immune system defenses better. It all depends on whether it makes people sicker and/or kills more people. So it could be bad. Hence the monitoring.
However, if Mu turns out to be much more transmissible yet much milder in its effects than Alpha or Delta, it could be exactly what we want: A tolerable, flu-like version of covid. For higher transmissibility would enable it to outcompete the other variants. There would still be occasional epidemics of the more serious versions, as happens with the flu, but it’s likely that better treatments would blunt their effects.
In short, a highly transmissible but mild Mu could buy the time needed to develop good treatment and even better vaccines. Hope, or wishful thinking?
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