The mu variant of the coronavirus has been identified in all U.S. states except for Nebraska and has the potential to be more resistant to vaccines than other strains, public health experts warn.
California has reported the highest number of mu variant samples with 384 cases, but that only makes up 0.2% of the total samples sequenced in the state, Newsweek reported.
The variant, first detected in Colombia in January, has spread to 41 countries, including the U.S., Newsweek reported.
Experts say that though the variant currently makes up less than one percent of all U.S. coronavirus cases, it has the chance to be more transmissible and could be more resistant to vaccines and natural immunity.
On Aug. 30, the World Health Organization labeled mu a variant of interest but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hasn’t made the same classification, Newsweek reported.