Variants of Concern (VOC)
Currently designated Variants of Concern (VOCs)+:
WHO label | Pango lineage• | GISAID clade | Nextstrain clade | Additional amino acid changes monitored° | Earliest documented samples | Date of designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Alpha | B.1.1.7 | GRY | 20I (V1) | +S:484K | United Kingdom, | 18-Dec-2020 |
| Beta | B.1.351 | GH/501Y.V2 | 20H (V2) | +S:L18F | South Africa, May-2020 | 18-Dec-2020 |
| Gamma | P.1 | GR/501Y.V3 | 20J (V3) | +S:681H | Brazil, Nov-2020 | 11-Jan-2021 |
| Delta | B.1.617.2 | G/478K.V1 | 21A, 21I, 21J | +S:417N +S:484K | India, Oct-2020 | VOI: 4-Apr-2021 VOC: 11-May-2021 |
| Omicron* | B.1.1.529 | GR/484A | 21K | - | Multiple countries, Nov-2021 | VUM: 24-Nov-2021 VOC: 26-Nov-2021 |
• Includes all descendent lineages. See the cov-lineages.org and the Pango network websites for further details.
* See TAG-VE statement issued on 26 November 2021
° Only found in a subset of sequences
Working definition:
A SARS-CoV-2 variant that meets the definition of a VOI (see below) and, through a comparative assessment, has been demonstrated to be associated with one or more of the following changes at a degree of global public health significance:
- Increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; OR
- Increase in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; OR
- Decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics.
Variants of Interest (VOI)
Currently designated Variants of Interest (VOIs):
| WHO label | Pango lineage* | GISAID clade | Nextstrain clade | Earliest documented samples | Date of designation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lambda | C.37 | GR/452Q.V1 | 21G | Peru, Dec-2020 | 14-Jun-2021 |
| Mu | B.1.621 | GH | 21H | Colombia, Jan-2021 | 30-Aug-2021 |
Working definition
A SARS-CoV-2 variant :
- with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape; AND
- Identified to cause significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries with increasing relative prevalence alongside increasing number of cases over time, or other apparent epidemiological impacts to suggest an emerging risk to global public health.
