Utah health officials are keeping their eye on a new COVID-19 variant that has now been found in 49 states.

The mu variant, which was first identified in Colombia at the beginning of the year, has shown up in every state except Nebraska so far.

“We first detected it in Utah in May of this year and just like all of the other variants, we’re concerned about it,” said Kelly Oakeson, chief scientist for next-generation sequencing and bioinformatics at the Utah Department of Health. “It’s still a variant we want to keep an eye on, but right now it’s not out-competing delta. The World Health Organization has labeled it a variant of interest.”

Oakeson said a total of approximately 300 cases of mu have been detected in the state so far.

According to the World Health Organization, the variant could have the potential to evade the immunity from vaccinations or antibodies in people who have been infected with COVID-19.

“I think really we just don’t know. It needs to be studied further,” Oakeson said. “It seems like the vaccines are doing well against other variants but the longer we go without getting the vast majority across the world vaccinated, the longer the pandemic is going to drag on and more variants will arise that will full out defeat our vaccines. That’s a real possibility.”

Oakeson said for now, getting vaccinated, wearing a mask indoors even if you are vaccinated, social distancing, staying home when you’re sick and good hand washing are the best ways to protect yourself and others.

“Our children under the age of 12 can’t be vaccinated, so we need to make sure we aren’t putting them at risk,” he said. “Wear a mask for crying out loud. It’s not that big of a deal. They work. They’re not a 100 percent bulletproof shield but they work, and different types of masks work at different levels.”

Oakeson said N95 and KN95 masks that are well fitted are best, followed by surgical masks. Cloth masks aren’t the best choice, but they’re better than nothing and it’s really helpful if everyone in the room is wearing a mask.

“If you’ve got 10 out of 10 people wearing a mask, that’s awesome. If five are wearing a mask, that’s good. If you’ve got one wearing a mask, well that’s better than nothing.”

In addition, Oakeson said people should still consider getting vaccinated.

“Tough it out and help yourself and everyone else,” he said. “If we will do all of these things, we will be able to help keep the spread down and hopefully be able to tackle this thing.”

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