Historically, the WHO regularly listed updates on variants of concern (VOC), which are variants with an increased rate of transmission, virulence, or resistance against mitigations, like vaccines.

Apr 13, 2026 · The SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates constantly as it spreads, leading to the emergence of new variants.

Aug 28, 2025 · Some variants will emerge and disappear, while others will emerge and continue to spread and may replace previous variants. It is important to track the emergence of variants so that …

When these changes become significantly different to a previously detected virus, these new virus types are known as “variants.” To identify variants, scientists map the genetic material of viruses (known as …

Feb 23, 2026 · In late 2020, the emergence of variants that posed an increased risk to global public health prompted WHO to characterize some as variants of interest (VOIs) and variants of concern …

Sep 4, 2025 · The program provides a comprehensive surveillance system for the United States to track virus evolution over time and identify emerging variants that may affect the performance of testing, …

Mar 24, 2026 · Find out which COVID variants are spreading now, what symptoms to expect, and how well current vaccines and treatments hold up.

The meaning of VARIANT is manifesting variety, deviation, or disagreement. How to use variant in a sentence.

These have been called “variants of concerns” (VOCs), and/or “variants of interests” (VOIs) as it has been suggested that their genome mutations might impact transmission, immune control, and virulence.

Nov 18, 2023 · How many COVID variants are there? So far, there have been four major variants: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron. Some of these contain multiple subvariants, though, each with their …