variants of concern

BA.2.75 is spreading rampantly in India and has so far reached at least 20 other countries, but it doesn’t seem to be outcompeting other Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants.

The presence and spread of new, more-infectious and immune-evading variants show that the coronavirus is not done mutating.

As Omicron induces a sense of deja vu at the close of the year, we look back at a few key ways in which our understanding has moved forward.

Preliminary studies suggest that existing vaccines falter in preventing symptomatic infections caused by the new coronavirus variant, but protection against severe disease is still high.

Preliminary data suggest that the newly dubbed Omicron variant may be more infectious than previous versions of the virus, but it will take time to obtain the reliable data needed to answer pressing questions about its biology.

Different variants of the virus behind the COVID-19 pandemic are swapping chunks of genetic material, but it’s not yet clear what implications that may have for public health.

An ability to build up higher concentrations of viral particles in people’s airways and mutations that might boost its ability to infect human cells could be what gives the Delta variant its evolutionary edge.

The organization implored nations to wait on booster shots until the global vaccination rate increases, but several of the world’s more well-off countries have expressed their intentions to offer them regardless.

Rather than being described by the location of where they emerged or an alphanumeric code, variants will be given a Greek letter.