As delta variant cases continue to cause concern in the United States and a new variant reaches an alert level for the World Health Organization, many are wondering what variants exist and which ones should we worry about?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, coronavirus variants were expected.
“Viruses are constantly changing through mutation and new variants of a virus are expected to occur,” the CDC website says. “Sometimes new variants appear and disappear. Other times, new variants exist. Numerous variants of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the United States and worldwide are being tracked during this pandemic.”
According to the CDC, some variants appear to spread more easily and rapidly than others, which may lead to more cases of COVID-19.
Variants are classified as “variants of interest”, “variants of concern” and “variants of high consequence”.
The CDC states that a variant is classified as a variant of interest if it shows “specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes in receptor binding, reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against a previous infection or vaccination, reduced l ‘effectiveness of treatments, potential diagnostic impact, or an increase in the transmissibility or severity of the disease is expected.’
“We’ll probably have a variant of what we call an interest variant identified every few weeks,” Commissioner Allison Arwady, commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Tuesday. “This is how this virus works. The variants of interest only mean that we have seen the emergence of a number of the same genetic mutations and that scientists around the world are searching every time. A virus anywhere in the world succeeds this genetic sequence, is updated to a database that is shared internationally, so we can really see what comes up. When a variant of interest appears, it says, “Oh, that’s something we should look at. little bit”.
A variant of concern is that where there is evidence of an increase in transmissibility, more serious illnesses (e.g., increased hospitalizations or deaths), significant reduction in neutralization by antibodies generated during previous infection or vaccination, reduction in the effectiveness of treatments or vaccines, or failures in the detection of the diagnosis, “according to the CDC.
“Once we see that a variant of interest clearly has an impact, that is, that it is more contagious, it can prevent treatment, it is clearly making people get sicker, which makes it a variant of concern.” , said Arwady.
Finally, a high-consequence variant “has clear evidence that preventive measures or medical countermeasures have significantly reduced efficacy with respect to previously circulating variants.” Or, as the Chicago top doctor said, a variant in which “the vaccine didn’t work very well.”
There are currently no high-consequence variants.
“I would say that if something became a high-consequence variant that would be a big problem,” Arwady said, adding that those variants are the ones where “the vaccine didn’t work very well.”
So what variants are being tracked so far? Here’s what we know:
In the United States and around the world, there are currently four variants labeled “worrying variants” by the CDC and the World Health Organization.
Alpha variant
Also known as B.1.1.7, the alpha variant was first identified in the UK and quickly spread to the most prevalent variant in the US, before the delta variant took over.
The alpha variant “spreads much faster than other variants” and “can cause more people to get sicker and die,” according to the CDC.
Vaccines currently being administered in the US are working against this variant, although advanced cases have been reported. However, vaccines continue to prove effective against serious illness, hospitalization and death, the CDC reports.
Beta variant
Also known as B.1.315, the beta variant was first identified in South Africa.
The beta variant “may spread more quickly than other variants,” but current data has shown no sign that the variant causes “more serious illness or death than other variants,” according to the CDC.
Vaccines currently being administered in the US are working against this variant, although advanced cases have been reported. However, vaccines continue to prove effective against serious illness, hospitalization, and death, the CDC reports.
But when it comes to treating cases of this variant, certain treatments with monoclonal antibodies are less effective.
Rank variant
Also known as P.1, the gamma variant was first identified in Japan and Brazil.
Although this variant appears to be spreading faster than others, current data have shown no sign that the variant causes “more serious illness or death than other variants,” according to the CDC.
Vaccines currently being administered in the US are working against this variant, although advanced cases have been reported. However, vaccines continue to prove effective against serious illness, hospitalization and death, the CDC reports.
But when it comes to treating cases of this variant, certain treatments with monoclonal antibodies are less effective.
Delta variant
Also known as B.1.617.2, the delta variant was first identified in India and is now responsible for most COVID cases in the US.
The delta variant “spreads much faster than other variants” and “can cause more severe cases than other variants,” according to the CDC.
Delta’s speed and high transmissibility make it capable of “catching the most vulnerable more efficiently than previous variants,” Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO health emergency program, during a press conference on June 21.
The delta variant “poses a particular threat to our youth,” Jeff Zients, the White House’s coronavirus response coordinator, told a news conference last month.
How do vaccines against this variant work?
“Infections only occur in a small proportion of people who are completely vaccinated, even with the delta variant,” the CDC states. “Some advanced infections are expected, but they are still rare. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who become infected with the Delta variant may spread the virus to others.”
When treating cases of this variant, certain treatments with monoclonal antibodies are less effective.
A variant called “delta plus” has also been debated.
Arwady clarified that the “delta plus” variant is a subtype of the delta variant formally known as AY.1. So far three subtypes AY.1 have been labeled, which some have informally called “delta plus”, as well as AY.2 and AY.3.
“There have been a handful of cases, but not even 1% of the cases, whether here in the Midwest or in the U.S., have been identified as AY.1,” Arwady said.
Arwady said that among the subtypes of the delta variant, the original delta variant B.1.617.2 “surpasses” the others because it is more contagious.
What other variants are being monitored?
In addition to the four variants of concern, there are also a number of “variants of interest”.
According to the WHO, variants of interest include Eta, Iota, Kappa, Lambda and, more recently, Mu.
And Variant
First identified in the UK and Nigeria, the Eta variant is being monitored to determine its potential to reduce the effectiveness of some monoclonal antibody treatments, according to the CDC. So far, no cases have been identified in the US
Variant Iota
The Iota variant was first identified in New York. The “reduced susceptibility to combination treatment with bamlanivimab and etesevimab monoclonal antibodies” is being observed, although it is not clear what impact it would have as alternative monoclonal antibody treatments available.
Lambda variant
To date, the “variant of interest” has been detected in 29 countries and can spread faster than milder versions of the coronavirus.
The lambda variant is not listed as a variant of interest by the CDC, but the WHO lists it.
To date, the “variant of interest” has been detected in 29 countries and can spread faster than milder versions of the coronavirus.
Also known as C.37, the variant has spread rapidly to South America, especially Peru, where the first documented samples of the virus were detected in December 2020.
In its mid-June report, the WHO reported that “lambda has been associated with substantial rates of community transmission in several countries, with an increasing prevalence over time that coincides with an increase in the incidence of Covid -19 “and that further research on the variant would be carried out.
Mu
More recently, Mu, also known to scientists as B.1.621, was added to the list of WHO variants of “interest,” the international health organization said in its weekly COVID epidemiological report published Tuesday at the end.
The variant contains genetic mutations that indicate natural immunity, current vaccines or monoclonal antibody treatments may not work as well against it as against the original ancestral virus, the WHO said. The mu strain needs further studies to confirm whether it will be more contagious, more deadly or more resistant to current vaccines and treatments.
Other variants
Other variants of interest identified by the CDC include: B.1.617.3, first identified in India and B.1.429 and B.1.427, both identified outside of California.