New Variants of

SARS CoV2
 Corona virus - Variant
 Viruses constantly change through mutation, and new variants of a virus are expected to
occur over time

 Scientists monitor changes in the virus, including changes to the spikes on the surface
of the virus.

 Collaboration with a SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group (SIG), CDC established 3

classifications for the SARS-CoV-2 variants 

1. Variant of Interest (VOI),

2. Variant of Concern (VOC)

3. Variant of High Consequence (VOHC).

 Variant of interest
 Specific genetic markers that have been associated with changes to receptor binding,
reduced neutralization by antibodies generated against previous infection or
vaccination, reduced efficacy of treatments

 Specific genetic markers that are predicted to affect transmission, diagnostics,

therapeutics, or immune escape

 Evidence that it is the cause of an increased proportion of cases or unique outbreak

clusters

 Limited prevalence or expansion in the US or in other countries

 Variant of interest
Name Name First Detected Attributes
• Reduced neutralization by some, but not all
EUA(Emergency use authorization) monoclonal
United States (New York) –
B.1.526 20C/S:484K November 2020 antibody treatments 
• Reduced neutralization by convalescent and post-
vaccination sera

• Reduced neutralization by some, but not all EUA

United States (New York) – monoclonal antibody treatments 
B.1.526.1 20C
October 2020 • Potential reduction in neutralization by
convalescent and post-vaccination sera

• Potential reduction in neutralization by monoclonal

United Kingdom/Nigeria – antibody treatments 
B.1.525 20A/S:484K
December 2020 • Potential reduction in neutralization by convalescent
and post-vaccination sera 

• Potential reduction in neutralization by monoclonal

antibody treatments 
P.2 20J Brazil – April 2020
• Reduced neutralization by post-vaccination sera 
 
 Variant of concern
 Widespread interference with diagnostic test targets

 Evidence of substantially decreased susceptibility to one or more class of therapies

 Evidence of significant decreased neutralization by antibodies generated during previous

infection or vaccination

 Evidence of reduced vaccine-induced protection from severe disease

 Evidence of increased transmissibility

 Evidence of increased disease severity

 Variant of concern
Name Name First Detected Attributes
• 50% increased transmission , Likely increased severity based on hospitalizations and
B.1.1.7 20I/501Y.V1 United Kingdom case fatality rates 
•Minimal impact on neutralization by EUA monoclonal antibody treatments
•Minimal impact on neutralization by convalescent and post-vaccination sera  

Japan/ •Reduction in neutralization by some, but not all EUA monoclonal antibody
P.1 20J/501Y.V3 treatments 
Brazil
•Reduced neutralization by convalescent and post-vaccination sera 

• 50% increased transmission

B.1.351 20H/501.V2 South Africa •Reduction in neutralization by some, but not all EUA monoclonal antibody
treatments 
•Moderate reduction in neutralization by convalescent and post-vaccination sera 

• 20% increased transmissibility 

United States-(California) •
Significant reduction in neutralization by some, but not all, EUA monoclonal
B.1.427 20C/S:452R
antibody treatments 
•Moderate reduction in neutralization using convalescent and post-vaccination sera

• 20% increased transmissibility

United States-(California) •antibody treatments 
Significant reduction in neutralization by some, but not all, EUA monoclonal
B.1.429 20C/S:452R
•Moderate reduction in neutralization using convalescent and post-vaccination sera
 Variant of high consequence
 Demonstrated failure of diagnostics

 Significantly reduced susceptibility to multiple Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or

approved therapeutics

More severe clinical disease and increased hospitalizations

 Imp VOCs
 Three significant VOCs have been identified
 Informally associated with the name of the country where they were first
noted
 “UK” (B.1.1.7),

 “South Africa” (B.1.351)

 “Brazil” (P1) variants

 Imp VOCs in India
B.1.36  found to be present in a good fraction of cases tested in Bengaluru.

N440K - mutation carried by the B.1.36 variant  widespread from southern states.

B.1.617 - Maharashtra
 Two specific mutations, called E484Q and L452R.
 Both these mutations alter the spike region, allowing it to bind more easily to cells.
 Spread more easily between people.
 Capable of immune escape, dodging both antibodies generated by prior infection or
dose of vaccine
 Monoclonal antibody treatments may be less effective for treating cases of COVID-19
caused by variants with the L452R or E484K substitution in the spike protein.
 Election rallies mutant

Lineage B.1.618
• In October 2020, this triple mutant variant was first isolated. It
has a mutation called E484K which is the same mutation which
South African variant has.
• It is growing significantly in recent months in West Bengal. As
of 23 April 2021, the CoV-Lineages database showed 135
sequences detected in India, with single-figure numbers in each
of eight other countries worldwide
• While there are many thousands of variants of SARS-CoV-2,subtypes
of the virus can be put into larger groupings such as lineages or clades
. Three main, generally used nomenclatures have been proposed:
• As of January 2021, GISAID—referring to SARS-CoV-2 as hCoV-19—
had identified eight global clades (S, O, L, V, G, GH, GR, and GV).
• In 2017, Hadfield et al. announced Nextstrain, intended "for real-time
tracking of pathogen evolution". Nextstrain has later been used for
tracking SARS-CoV-2, identifying 11 major clades (19A, 19B, and
20A–20I) as of January 2021.
• In 2020, Rambaut et al. of the 
Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages
 (PANGOLIN) software team proposed in an article "a dynamic
nomenclature for SARS-CoV-2 lineages that focuses on actively
circulating virus lineages and those that spread to new locations"; as of
February 2021, six major lineages (A, B, B.1, B.1.1, B.1.177, B.1.1.7)
had been identified.
 Overview of variants
Variant's discovery and spread Genetic and identification Clinical changes relative to Wuhan's variant

PANGO  Nextstrain  Notable

Locations Date Spread lineage clade PHE variant Other names mutations Transmissibil Virulence Antigenicity
ity

≈64% (32–
 United Feb 2020 Global B.1.1.7 20I/501Y.V1 VOC-20DEC- — N501Y, 69– ≈74% higher 104%) more No change
Kingdom 01 70del, P681H lethal

No evidence No evidence Under

 Nigeria Mar 2020 Global B.1.1.207 — — — P681H of change of change investigation
 Overview of variants
Variant's discovery and spread Genetic and identification Clinical changes relative to Wuhan's variant

Locations Date Spread PANGO lineage Nextstrain clade PHE variant Other names Notable Transmissibility Virulence Antigenicity
mutations

Significant
N501Y, reduction in
south Africa Oct 2020 Global B.1.351 20H/501Y.V2 VOC-20DEC-
02 501Y.V2] K417N, ≈50% (20– No evidence
113%) higher of change neutralisatio
E484K n by
antibodies

Slight
VUI-21APR- E484Q, Under Under reduction in
 India Oct 2020 Global B.1.617 — 01 — L452R, investigation investigation effective
P681R neutralisatio
n
Overall
 Japan VOC-21JAN- N501Y, ≈152% (127– ≈45% (50% C reduction in
 Brazil Dec 2020] Global P.1 20J/501Y.V3 02 B.1.1.28.1 E484K, 178%) higher rI, 10–80%) effective
K417T more lethal neutralisatio
n

 United Possibly
Kingdom Dec 2020 Global B.1.525 20C VUI-21FEB- — E484K, F888L Under Under reduced
 Nigeria 03 ]
investigation investigation neutralisatio
n