Health Ministry Keeps Close Watch on Mu Variant

Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr. Christopher Tufton, says the Ministry is keeping a close watch on the new Mu variant of the COVID-19 that was reported to be detected in St. Vincent. The latest strain is deemed to be more transmittable.

This he said days before announcing on Thursday, September 9, that the variant has been detected on the island. The Ministry noted that some 26 of 90 samples tested and received confirmed the presence of the variant on the island.

Speaking during a tour of vaccination sites in St. James on Wednesday, September 8, Dr. Tufton said that now that the MU variant has been identified in the Caribbean, it is of great concern. The Health Minister noted that the Ministry will ensure that persons will not only test for Delta and the other variants, but we test for this particular one as well.

“We have collected samples and sent them to three sites outside of Jamaica for those samples to be tested,” Minister Tufton added.

Meanwhile, the Minister noted that though new variants of COVID-19 are concerning, they should be expected, as majority of persons around the world have not been vaccinated. He says this is one of the many reasons why the Government has implemented a national vaccination programme to vaccinate majority of the Jamaican population.

The Minister indicated that the country will receive more vaccines later this week, in an effort to boost the vaccine takeup across the country.