St Vincent and the Grenadines has confirmed a new COVID-19 variant has been detected on the island.

The Ministry of Health and Wellness said yesterday cases of the Mu variant were detected between 19 July and 9 August and are warning the new strain is more transmittable.

In a press release the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO) said that the five cases of the Mu variant were detected following a review of results for samples sent to the Trinidad-based Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA).

NEMO said the five cases were all detected within the community as contacts of positive cases who were seeking medical attention.

“In view of the confirmed presence of the Mu variant of interest in the community and the increased risk of infection and subsequent transmission of COVID-19 posed by the growing incidence of variants of concern in persons entering St Vincent and the Grenadines, strict compliance with all protocols and recommendations is strongly recommended. These include the effective use of masks, physical distancing, hand sanitising and immunisation with available vaccines,” NEMO said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said the new variant “has constellation of mutations that indicate potential properties of immune escape”.

In neighbouring Grenada, COVID-19 cases continue to rise and a daily curfew has been announced for the next two weeks. In a televised address to the nation, Grenada’s Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has declared ‘no-movement days’, as well as a daily a curfew across the island everyday from 7pm to 5am.

The daily curfew will also include two upcoming weekends starting this Friday. The weekend curfew will commence on Friday, 10 September until Monday, 13 September as well as September 17 to September 20^.

PM Mitchell announced those with vaccination or testing appointments will be allowed to attend. He said: “During these no-movement days, the Ministry of Health will facilitate greater access to testing and vaccination within communities. No movement will be permitted, except for purposes of testing and vaccination.”

He also announced that there would be no inter-island travel between mainland Grenada and its smaller surrounding islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique during the curfew period.

Meanwhile, soaring COVID-19 cases in Jamaica has forced US authorities to add the Caribbean country to its Level 4: Do Not Travel category. The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its advice for Jamaica yesterday amid surging cases.

Yesterday, Jamaica recorded 672 new COVID-19 cases and between 12 August and 7 September and twenty deaths were recorded.

On Monday, Cuba became the first country in the world to vaccinate children from the age of two against coronavirus. Cuba is using two of its own vaccines, Soberana and Abdala, to vaccinate children between the age of two and 18.

St Lucia is currently experiencing a fourth wave of the virus and confirmed 67 new cases in the last 24 hours. St Lucia has had 118 Covid-related deaths and has recorded 9,258 total cases.