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Looks like, “New year, new variant,” is the latest cliché phrase we all need to get used to hearing. Bang in the middle of the looming threat posed by the highly transmissible Omicron variant of COVID-19, another variant has been reported. Discovered first in France, the new variant called ‘IHU’ was reported by scientists at the IHU Mediterranee Infection institution. So far, 12 cases have been recorded in Marseilles, France. Initial cases are linked to travel (as most cases of spreading of the virus are) to Central African country Cameroon. While this is a decidedly shocking finding, people are not surprised. And can you blame them?
It is perhaps too soon to joke about the next possible variant of concern but since the news of the IHU variant from France dropped, it has sparked a meme fest. Now everything we know about this development is terrifying – for starters, it is believed to have 46 mutations which is more than the previous Omicron, so ‘IHU’ could be more infectious and resistant to vaccines according to several reports. None of this information is funny but as people consume details about first the Delta variant followed by Omicron and then IHU right in time for the new year, existential memes seem to be the easiest coping mechanism.
So here we go again:
New Coronavirus variant spotted in France called #IHU.
Meanwhile people: pic.twitter.com/mOpMqJaKg8— Soham Naskar (@SohamNaskar) January 4, 2022
#IHU My 2022 would be like this 😂 pic.twitter.com/mHbVEtZSOE
— shreyank (@shreyanklagad) January 4, 2022
Vaccine companies after knowing that their is a new variant #IHU in the market..
And many more to come: pic.twitter.com/oY2TNiNPfG
— Mr. Absent Refugee (@MrAbsentRefugee) January 4, 2022
New COVID-19 variant ‘IHU’, more infectious than Omicron, detected in France; 12 people infected#Covid_19 #IHU
2022: pic.twitter.com/T5yYgmWDys— dhoniraina (@SeetaramKuwal) January 4, 2022
#Omicron: I’m the dominant variant in the world now.#IHU: pic.twitter.com/a2k1MY5zM7
— Soham Naskar (@SohamNaskar) January 4, 2022
If this gives you déjà vu, it’s because the world finds itself going back to square one after regaining some form of normalcy in the past year. 2021 saw many countries relax COVID-19 guideline restrictions and increase vaccination rates. These efforts were swiftly met with yet another roadblock when Omicron was declared a variant of concern by the end of the year. Cut to 2022, where we’re faced with yet another variant.
At present, it is too early to speculate the impact of the IHU variant. Very little is known about its rate of transmission and vaccine efficacy. It is also important to note that it hasn’t been declared a variant of concern by the WHO.
Here’s what we know from the initial details available about the variant:
France Discovers New COVID-19 Variant ‘IHU’ And It Could Be More Infectious Than Omicron
Cover image: Twitter
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