A strain of COVID-19 found in France last year is not a cause for concern, the World Health Organisation (WHO) says.
The B.1.640.2 variant, known as IHU, was first identified in October 2021 and uploaded to a database for disease variants (Gisaid) in early November.
Since then concern has swirled about whether IHU could be the new Omicron - which has sparked multiple outbreaks across the world.
But so far the data seems promising, with experts saying IHU is unlikely to become the next variant of concern.
Where did IHU come from?
The variant was first detected in southeastern France in a vaccinated person who had recently travelled to Cameroon, according to a research paper that was published in December.
The paper, which is yet to be peer-reviewed, says 12 cases were found in the area following its discovery.
The variant was named after a research institute in Marseille which helped identify it.
How dangerous is IHU?
While the strain is still being studied, initial data suggests IHU doesn't pose the same threat as Omicron.
The Omicron variant, which was first reported in November as well, quickly spread across the globe and has been detected in more than 140 nations. Comparatively, IHU is yet to see the same spread.
WHO COVID incident manager Abdi Mahmud says the variant has been on the organisation's radar since November.
He says it doesn't appear to have spread widely since its discovery.
"That virus has had a lot of chances to pick up," he told reporters.
Imperial College virologist Tom Peacock said the variant has had plenty of time to spread, but hasn't - which is a good sign.
"This virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised," Peacock tweeted.
"There haven't been any new sequences uploaded since before Christmas... this virus has had a decent chance to cause trouble but never really materialised (as far as we can tell at least...)."
The variant sparked concern because it has 46 mutations from the original variant - like Omicron, which has around 50.
IHU's director Didier Raoult has previously come under fire for recommending the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19. Studies show hydroxychloroquine does not work against the Coronavirus.
