New COVID 19 variant 'IHU' discovered in France; Scientists say 'It is more infectious than Omicron'

The third wave of COVID 19 is spreading rapidly in the world. Many countries are currently grappling with the third variant Omicron. In India, state governments have already imposed restrictions as the cases are on the rise. The worst affected region is New Delhi followed by Maharashtra. Night curfews have been reimposed and in some states, schools, colleges are also closed. Today, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also tested COVID-19 positive. And now, scientists in France have identified a new, more mutated strain than Omicron.

New COVID 19 variant 'IHU'

The new variant is named IHU and it was discovered by the academics at the institute IHU Mediterranee Infection. Researchers say that it contains 46 mutations more than Omicron, which makes it more resistant to vaccines and infectious. Reportedly, at least 12 cases of the new variant have been reported near Marseilles, and it has been linked to travel to the African country Cameroon. IHU variant's threat is rising. This variant has not been spotted in other countries till now.

To note, the Omicron variant was detected in a sample taken from South Africa last year. Since then, it has spread to more than 100 countries. In India, it has infected nearly 1,900 people. India's tally for Omicron on Tuesday reached 1,892, according to the Union Ministry of Health.

The highest number of cases were reported in Maharashtra (568), followed by Delhi, which logged 382 cases of the new variant. Kerala (185), Rajasthan (174), Gujarat (152) and Tamil Nadu (121) also reported over a hundred cases of Omicron, as reported by The Indian Express.

Stay tuned with the newstrack to get fastest updates. Click @englishnewstrack to follow us on Facebook and @newstrackmedia to follow on Twitter.