A new Covid variant has been found in France with more mutations than Omicron.
Earlier this week, researchers at the IHU Mediterranee hospital in Marseille, detected a new strain of Covid-19, giving it the name IHU.
As the Mirror reports, 12 people have been identified as having the new variant, including five children.
READ MORE: Experts warn of two new Omicron symptoms that don't affect the nose or throat
There is little knowledge about this new strain so far but as the virus spreads further, mutations do occur.
With the rise of Omicron, it has been found that three vaccines provide the best protection.
Those who have had a double dose of Pfizer from last year or earlier this year are thought to be 40% protected against Omicron.
If you get a third jab of Pfizer this number is through to rocket to 75%, according to the UKHSA.
What do we know about the new Covid variant?
It is important to note that the study into the strain has not been peer-reviewed yet and little information published.
However, so far the researches at IHU hospital indicate that the strain has 46 mutations, several more than Omicron that has 37.
Researchers have also been advising caution before speculating on how harmful or infectious the IHU variant could be, with the report saying:
"It is too early to speculate on virological, epidemiological or clinical features of this IHU variant based on these 12 cases.
"Overall, these observations show once again the unpredictability of the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants and their introduction from abroad, and they exemplify the difficulty to control such introduction and subsequent spread."
How worried should we be about IHU?
The variant is not yet a variant of concern identified by the World Health Organisation, as Omicron is.
Additionally, the initial findings are suggesting that the variant is actually older than Omicron.
The variant, B.1.640.2, was first isolated in a patient back in November in France.
The person had just returned from a trip to Cameroon, however since then investigations have not established any links to Cameroon so it is not believed the variant will have emerged there.
Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College, said on Twitter: "This virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised."
Meanwhile, American epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding said to the Evening Standard: "There are scores of new variants discovered all the time, but it does not necessarily mean they will be more dangerous."
In terms of symptoms, the study found the first case of the new strain developed only mild respiratory symptoms.
