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The "Mu" is the fifth COVID variant the WHO is monitoring. It was first identified in Colombia in January this year and has been detected in at least 39 countries sine then, according to the WHO.

The WHO said this variant "has a constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape." It could have the ability to evade the immunity people get from vaccines.

The Mu variant currently makes up less than 0.1 percent of COVID-19 infections in the world, though its prevalence in Colombia and Ecuador consistently rises.

More study is needed for the Mu strain to see if it will prove to be more contagious, more deadly, or more resistant to current vaccines and treatment, the WHO said.

The Delta strain currently caused 99 percent of all new COVID-19 infections in the U.S. and some U.S. experts say that they don't think Mu will overtake the Delta variant.

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