Risk Communication and Community Engagement (RCCE) TWG

Guidance Note on Coronavirus (Covid-19) Variants and Increased Risk

for Humanitarian Workers (not for dissemination to communities)

Date: 20 May, 2021

Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to occur over time.
Sometimes new variants emerge and disappear. Other times, new variants emerge and persist.

Multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), have been
documented in this pandemic and are circulating globally. Some of these emergent variants seem to
spread more easily than other variants. Some may be associated with more severe disease or a higher risk
of reinfection.

Public health experts and scientists monitor changes in the virus through epidemiological investigation
and genetic analyses. Further investigations are required to understand the impact of specific mutations
on viral properties and the effectiveness of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines.

Vaccines are a critical tool in the battle against COVID-19. The limited information currently available does
not provide clear evidence about the efficacy of different vaccines against many new strains emerging. In
view of this, the use of available vaccines, that are listed under the emergency use listing procedure by
WHO, should continue, while additional data is being collected.

Prevention advice and communications for the public should be further strengthened, including
precautions to protect yourself and others through physical distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms
well ventilated, avoiding crowds, washing hand, using soap/hand sanitizer, and coughing into a bent
elbow or tissue.