W.H.O. Downplays Novel French Coronavirus Variant 

The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) has downplayed a novel French coronavirus variant first found in southeastern France, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

After the delta and omicron variants took the Biden administration by surprise, the novel B.1.640.2 variant has reportedly infected a number of French patients but has not yet reached American shores.

The W.H.O. tamped down concerns the variant will greatly spread throughout the globe. “That virus has had a lot of chances to pick up,” W.H.O. coronavirus manager Abdi Mahmud told the Times.

A coronavirus variant found in a small number of patients in France gives little reason to worry, said the WHO, which is monitoring it. The variant has been on the agency’s radar since November and does not appear to have spread widely, an official said. https://t.co/4AVrx3Qj1O

— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 5, 2022

The variant was first discovered in southeastern France in a vaccinated person in October. It was subsequently databased in November with 46 mutations. “Only about 20 samples have been sequenced so far, experts said this week, and only one since early December,” the Times reported:

Abdi Mahmud, a Covid incident manager with the W.H.O., told reporters in Geneva on Tuesday that the variant had been on the agency’s radar since November, but added that it did not appear to have spread widely over the past two months.

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Many Chinese coronavirus variants have appeared since the virus arrived on American shores. The reason why some variants metastasize and others do not is complex and is still studied by experts.

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