17/01/2023
🦠SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is continually mutating. There have been several notable variants since the pandemic started, including Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron. Some significant variants have been entitled Variants of Concern/Variants of Interest status due to their amplified transmissibility and higher risk of causing severe disease.
Alpha. Infections peaked in December of that same year after Alpha initially appeared in Great Britain in November 2020. It spread worldwide and quickly became the predominant variant in the United States. Then, when the more combative Delta variant emerged and replaced Alpha.
At the end of 2020, Beta was discovered in South Africa and quickly spread to other countries. Due to its many mutations and ability to elude antibodies, experts have expressed concern.
After being discovered in India in late 2020, the coronavirus known as Delta (B.1.617.2) quickly spread over the globe and took over as the dominant strain until Omicron replaced it in the middle of December 2021.
Omicron strain (BA.1) was discovered in South Africa and Botswana in late November 2021 and spread quickly to neighboring countries. Omicron and its subvariants have been the most common SARS-CoV-2 strains in the United States for more than a year.
At the beginning of 2023, researchers reported a new subvariant called XBB.1.5. In addition, several newer Omicron strains circulate in the U.S., namely BF.7, XBB, BN.1, BF.11, and others. According to forecasts, they will appear in Europe soon.
