Table 1: Variants of COVID-19.

Variant name and lineage

 

First Detected

 

Country of Origin

 

Number of Countries affected

 

Number of Mutations

 

Rate of Spread as compared to SARS-CoV-2

 

Morbidities

 

Note

 

Alpha (B.1.1.7)

 

09/2020

12/2020

UK

USA

52 (as of January 15, 2021)

 

17

 

43% to 82%

 

61% more compared to SARS-CoV-2 (HR = 1.61)

 

De-escalated in EU/EEA

 

Beta (B.1.351)

 

10/2020

01/2021

South Africa

USA

48

 

9

 

 

20% more mortality than the 1st wave in South Africa

 

No longer detected in EU/EEA or seen at a deficient level

 

Gamma (P.1)

 

12/2020

01/2021

Brazil++

USA

45

 

10

 

2.5 times

 

Not enhanced lethality

 

No longer detected in EU/EEA or detected at extremely low level

 

Delta (B.1.617.2)

 

12/ 2020

03/2021

India

USA

163 (as of 08/24/2021

 

10

 

40%-60% more transmissible than Alpha (B.1.1.7)

 

 

VOC in May 2021

 

Epsilon (B.1.427 and B.1.429)

 

06/2020

 

USA

 

 

8

 

 

 

VOC (USA)

 

Zeta (P.2)

 

04/2020

 

Brazil

 

 

8

 

 

 

VOI

 

Eta (B.1.525)

 

11/2020

 

USA

 

 

16

 

 

 

VOI

 

Theta (P.3)

 

02/2021

 

Philippines

Japan

 

3

 

 

 

VOI

 

Iota (B.1.526)

 

11/2020

 

USA

 

 

16

 

 

 

 

VOI

 

Kappa (B.1.617.1)

 

12/2021

 

India

 

 

8

 

 

 

VOI

 

Lambda (C.37)

 

 

Peru

 

 

 

 

 

 

VOI

 

Mu (B.1.621, B1.621.1)

 

 

Columbia

 

 

 

 

 

VOI

 

Omicron (B.1.529, BA.1.1, BA.3)

 

11/2021

 

Botswana and South Africa

 

 

30

 

Omicron has 13 times more contagion than SARS-Cov-2 and 2.8 times more than Delta

 

 

VOC

 

Omicron (BA.2)

 

11/2021

 

South Africa

 

 

28

 

Increased

 

Reduced

 

VOI

 

Omicron (BA.4)

 

01/2022

 

South Africa

 

 

3

 

No evidence

 

No evidence

 

VOI

 

Omicron (BA.5)

 

02/2022

 

South Africa

 

 

3

 

No evidence

 

Unclear

 

VOI

 

 HR: Hazard Ratio; VOC: Virus of Concern; VOI: Virus of Interest, Source: Aleem et al. (2022) (StatPearl), GVN.org,Yalemedicine.org, and ecdc.europa.eu (Accessed on September 2022), Note: In addition to these websites, interested readers should consult WHO.Int and CDC.gov and the respective country Covid tracking websites since information is changing rapidly