Key TakeawaysIn October 2021, a new COVID-19 virus variant was detected in France. The World Health Organization (WHO) does not feel it is currently a serious threat.The variant, called B.1.640.2 or IHU, was first found in a vaccinated person who had returned to France after traveling to Cameroon.Only about 20 samples of the variant have been genetically sequenced. Since early December 2021, only one has been sequenced.

Key Takeaways

In October 2021, a new COVID-19 virus variant was detected in France. The World Health Organization (WHO) does not feel it is currently a serious threat.The variant, called B.1.640.2 or IHU, was first found in a vaccinated person who had returned to France after traveling to Cameroon.Only about 20 samples of the variant have been genetically sequenced. Since early December 2021, only one has been sequenced.

In October 2021, researchers found a new variant of the COVID-19 virus in France. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) does not think that the variant is cause for concern.

The variant is called B.1.640.2 or IHU (after Institut Hospitalier Universitaire in Marseilles, one of the places where it was identified).

Only a few samples of the new variant have been identified through genetic sequencing. All were recorded in the first weeks after the variant was found. Since December 2021, only one sample has been found.

Where Did B.1.640.2 Come From?

The new variant was first identified in a vaccinated person who had come back to southern France after traveling to Cameroon. Health officials in Cameroon are monitoring for the new variant, but that does not mean that the variant came from Cameroon or somewhere else in central Africa.

According to a January 7 reporton the German news site DW, 11 other people got sick with the variant and all of them were linked to the traveler in whom it was first found.

Which COVID-19 Variants Are Spreading in America?

B.1.640.2 vs. Omicron

Variants of the COVID virus are popping up all the time, but many of them disappear quickly. Some variants will spread, but not very fast. Other variants become more of a problem because they are easily transmissible, rapid spreaders—like Delta and Omicron.

Omicron in the U.S.

“I would want to be careful of equating it or judging it against Omicron—only because Omicron is so wickedly transmissible,” said Poland. “So, is this more akin to Beta, or Gamma, or even Alpha? We don’t know yet.”

CDC Establishes New Threat Levels for COVID-19 Variants

Should We Worry About B.1.640.2?

According to Poland, early data show that the new variant is not spreading very far at the moment—but that could change. We also don’t know if the currently availableCOVID vaccinescan protect against the B.1.640.2 variant.

What the WHO Says

If a new variant is thought to be more dangerous, the WHO labels it as a “variant of concern.” That step has not been taken for B.1.640.2 yet.

It could also be that the variant has been spreading—it’s just not being identified widely.

“Spread can be happening, and changes can be occurring sort of below the radar," said Poland, adding that if only 1% or less of viral samples are sequenced, then the viral spread might not be recognized.

That could partly be because genetic sequencing is not being done very much. According to Poland, about 20 samples of the new variant have been sequenced so far. By contrast, 120,000 sequences of the Omicron variant have been uploaded toWHO’s GISAID databasesince the variant was added in November 2021.

How to Protect Yourself Against COVID-19 During the Winter Surge

Do Mutations Matter?

While the B.1.640.2 variant is not spreading rapidly right now, there are still some concerns about it emerging. A recent study that has yet to undergo peer review found that the variant has 46 genetic mutations and 36 deletions, making it quite different from the original COVID virus.That said, the Omicron variant also has many mutations and deletions—and itisspreading fast.

Poland said that transmissibility is only indirectly linked to the number of gene mutations or deletions in a variant. He adds that when a new variant is first found, we cannot know for sure whether it’s going to spread faster than others—or just disappear.

“We can create an understanding for why something like Omicron is so transmissible now that we know it’s so transmissible," said Poland. “But in advance, we probably wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

What This Means For YouIn October 2021, a new COVID variant (B.1.640.2) was found in France. As of early January 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not deemed B.1.640.2 as a “variant of concern.”

What This Means For You

In October 2021, a new COVID variant (B.1.640.2) was found in France. As of early January 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not deemed B.1.640.2 as a “variant of concern.”

Are More COVID-19 Variants Coming?

1 SourceVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Colson P, Delerce J, Burel E, et al.Emergence in Southern France of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of probably Cameroonian origin harbouring both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein. Published online December 29, 2021. doi:10.1101/2021.12.24.21268174

1 Source

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Colson P, Delerce J, Burel E, et al.Emergence in Southern France of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of probably Cameroonian origin harbouring both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein. Published online December 29, 2021. doi:10.1101/2021.12.24.21268174

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Colson P, Delerce J, Burel E, et al.Emergence in Southern France of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant of probably Cameroonian origin harbouring both substitutions N501Y and E484K in the spike protein. Published online December 29, 2021. doi:10.1101/2021.12.24.21268174

Meet Our Medical Expert Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?OtherHelpfulReport an ErrorSubmit

What is your feedback?