Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Subscription Access
Open Access Open Access Open Access  Restricted Access Restricted Access Subscription Access

Variants of Concern of Sars-cov-2: A Review


Affiliations
1 Head of Microbiology Department, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS, MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
2 BDS, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
3 Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS, MRIIRS Faridabad, Haryana, India
     

   Subscribe/Renew Journal


The SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected innumerable individuals and continues to result in numerous unintended fatalities throughout the world. The Coronaviridae family includes the beta coronavirus that causes SARS-CoV-2. Over the past few months, novel spike protein mutations have become more prevalent in clinically important variants. These alterations cause the host immune system to stop recognising them. The current version of concern, according to WHO, contains the following: Alpha (B.1.1.7 9), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617), Gamma (P.1), and Omicron (BA.1). These variants have several mutations in common with an increasing SARS-CoV-2 Variants that have just been discovered. Immune system invasion and vaccination evasion are caused by spike protein mutations. Increased transmissibility, mortality, morbidity, and possibly delayed diagnosis and treatment are the results of these impacts. The present review article discusses the numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 with a prime focus on the Variants of Concern as per WHO. The article provides insights into the structural mutations, disease severity, and vaccine efficacy of the variants. The ongoing monitoring and control of these variants are crucial for preventing and controlling the spread of the virion.

Keywords

variants of concern, mutations, SARS-CoV-2, alpha (B.1.1.7 9), beta (B.1.351), delta (B.1.617).
Subscription Login to verify subscription
User
Notifications
Font Size


  • Abdool Karim, S.S., & de Oliveira, T. (2021). New SARS-CoV-2 variantsClinical, public health, and vaccine implications. New England Journal of Medicine, 384, 1866-1868.
  • Aleem, A., Akbar Samad, A.B., & Slenker, A.K. (2022). Emerging variants of SARSCoV- 2 and novel therapeutics against coronavirus (COVID-19). 2022 Jan 5. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): Stat Pearls Publishing; 2022 Jan. PMID: 34033342.
  • Alexandar, S., Ravisankar, M., Kumar, R.S., & Jakkan, K. (2021). A comprehensive review on Covid-19 Delta variant. International Journal of Pharmacology and Clinical Research (IJPCR), 5(83-85), 7.
  • Allen, H., Vusirikala, A., Flannagan, J., Twohig, K. A., Zaidi, A., Chudasam, D., Lamagni, T., Groves, N., Turner, C., Rawlinson, C., Lapez, J., Bernal, Harris, R., Charlett, A., Dabrera, G., & Kall, M. (2022). Increased household transmission of COVID-19 cases associated with SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.617.2: a national case-control study. The Lancet Regional Health-Europe, 12, 100252.
  • Alpert, T., Brito, A.F., Lasek-Nesselquist, E., Rotham, J., Valesano, A.L., Mackay, M.J., Petrone, M.E., Breban, M.I., Watkins, A.E., Vogels, C.B.F., Kalinch, C.C., Dellicour, S., Russell, A., Kelly, J.P., Shudt, M., Plintnick, J., Schneider, E., Fitzsimmons, W.J., Khullar, G., & Grubaugh, N.D. (2021). Early introductions and transmission of SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.7 in the United States. Cell, 184, 2595-2604.e13.
  • Annavajhala, M.K., Mohri, H., Zucker, J.E., Sheng, Z., Wang, P., Gomez-Simmonds, A., Ho, D.D., & Anne-Uhlemann, C. (2021). A novel SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, B.1.526, identified in New York. MedRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2021. 02.23.21252259
  • Bosch, B.J., Bartelink, W., Rottier, P.J., & Cathepsin, L. (2008). Functionally cleaves the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus class I fusion protein upstream of rather than adjacent to the fusion peptide. Journal of Virology, 82, 8887-889.
  • Bager, P., Wohlfahrt, J., Fonager, J., Albertsen, M., YssingMichaelsen, T., HoltenMøller, C., Ethelberg, S., Legarth, R., Fischer Button, M.S., & Gubbels, S.M. (2021). Increased risk of hospitalisation associated with infection with SARS-CoV-2 lineage B. 1.1. 7 in Denmark. Preprint with SSRN, 02 Mar 2021. https://doi.org/10.213 9/ssrn.3792894
  • Bal, A., Destras, G., Gaymard, A., Stefic, K., Marlet, J., Eymieux, S., Regue, H., Semanas, Q., d'Aubarede, C., Billaud, G., Laurent, F., Gonzalez, C., Mekki, Y., Valette, M., Bouscambert, M., Gaudy-Graffin, C., Lina, B., Morfin, F., & Josset, L. (2021). Two-step strategy for the identification of SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 and other variants with spike deletion H69-V70, France, August to December 2020. Euro Surveillance, 3, 210000. doi:10.2807/1560-7917.ES.20 21.26.3.2100008
  • Bar‐On, Y.M., Goldberg, Y., Mandel, M., Bodenheimer, O., Freedman, L., Kalkstein, N., Mizrahi, B., Alroy-Preis, S., Ash, N., Milo, R., & Hupper, A. (2021). BNT162b2 vaccine booster dose protection: A nationwide study from Israel. MedRxiv. Published online August 31, 2021. 10.1101/2021.08.27.21262679
  • Boehm, E., Kronig, I., Neher, R.A., Eckerle, I., Vetter, P., & Kaiser, L. (2021). Novel SARS-CoV-2 variants: The pandemics within the pandemic. Clinical Microbiology and Infection, 27, 1109-1117.
  • Bolze, A., Cirulli, E.T., Luo, S., White, S., Cassens, T., Jacobs, S., Nguyen, J., Ramirez, J.M., Sandoval, E., Wang, X., & Wong, D. (2022). Rapid displacement of SARSCoV- 2 variant B. 1.1. 7 by B. 1.617. 2 and P. 1 in the United States. Cell Reports Medicine, 3(3), 100564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrm.2022.100564
  • Brian, D.A., & Baric, R.S. (2005). Coronavirus genome structure and replication. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, 287, 1-30. doi: 10.1007/3-540- 26765-4_1. Springer Link
  • Brief report: New Variant Strain of SARS-CoV-2 Identified in Travelers from Brazil" (PDF) (Press release) (2021). Japan: NIID (National Institute of Infectious Diseases). 12 January 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  • Calistri, P., Amato, L., Puglia, I., Cito, F., Di Giuseppe, A.D., Anzetta, M.L., & Morelli, D. (2021). Infection sustained by lineage B.1.1.7 of SARS-CoV-2 is characterised by longer persistence and higher viral RNA loads in nasopharyngeal swabs. International Journal of Infectious Diseases: IJID: Official Publication of the International Society for Infectious Diseases, 105, 753-755. doi:10.1016/j.ijid. 2021.03.005.
  • Callaway, E. (2021). Delta coronavirus variant: Scientists brace for impact. Nature, 595(7865), 17-18. doi: 10.1038/d41586-021-01696-3. PMID: 34158664.
  • Campbell, F., Archer, B., Laurenson-Schafer, H., Jinnai, Y., Konings, F., Batra, N., Pavlin, B., Vandemaele, K., Van Kerkhove, M.D., Jombart, T., Morgan, O., & le Polain de Waroux, O. (2021). Increased transmissibility and global spread of SARSCoV- 2 variants of concern as at June 2021. Euro Surveillance, 26(24), 100509. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100509. PMID: 34142653; PMCID: PMC8212592.
  • Cheng, X.W., Li, J., Zhang, L., Hu, W.J., Zong, L., Xu, X., Qiao, J.P., Zheng, M.J., Jiang, X.W., Liang, Z.K., Zhou, Y.F., Zhang, N., Zhu, H.Q., & Xu, Y.H. (2022). Identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants and their clinical significance in Hefei, China. Frontier Medicine (Lausanne), 10(8), 784632. doi:10.3389/fmed.2021. 784632. PMID: 35083244; PMCID: PMC8784789.
  • Chi, X., Yan, R., Zhang, J., Zhang, G., Zhang, Y., Hao, M., Zhang, Z., Fan, P., Dong, Y., Yang, Y., Chen, Z., Guo, Y., Zhang, J., Li, Y., Song, X., Chen, Y., Xia, L., Fu, L., Hou, L., Xu, J., Yu, C., Li, J., Zhou, Q., & Chen, W. (2020). A neutralizing human antibody binds to the N-terminal domain of the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2. Science, 369(6504), 650-655.
  • COG-UK update on SARS-CoV-2 Spike mutations of special interest: Report 1 (PDF) (Report) (2020). COVID 19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK). 20 December 2020. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 December 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
  • Collier, D.A., De Marco, A., Ferreira, I.A.T.M., Meng, B., Datir, R.P., Walls, A.C., Kemp, S.A., Bassi, J., Pinto, D., Silacci-Fregni, C., et al. (2021). Sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 to mRNA vaccine-elicited antibodies. Nature, 593, 136-141. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03412-7
  • Coutinho, R.M., Marquitti, F.M.D., Ferreira, L.S., Borges, M.E., da Silva, R.L.P., Canton, O., Portella, T.P., Poloni, S., Franco, C., Plucinski, M.M., Lessa, F.C., da Silva, A.A.M., Kraenkel, R.A., de Sousa Mascena Veras, M.A., & Prado, P.I. (2021). Model-based estimation of transmissibility and reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant. Communications Medicine-Nature (London), 1, 48. doi: 10.1038/s43856- 021-00048-6. PMID: 35602219; PMCID: PMC9053218.
  • COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update Edition 58, published 21 September 2021, WHO https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-updateon- covid-19---21-September-2021
  • COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update Edition 74, published 11 January 2022, WHOhttps://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-updateon- covid-19---11-January-2022
  • Cascella, M., Rajnik, M., Aleem, A., Dulebohn, S.C., & Di Napoli, R. (2022). Features, evaluation, and treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19). 2022 Jan 5. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan. PMID: 32150360
  • Dasgupta, V. (2021, September 22). Delta globally dominant Covid strain. Now Spread To 185 Countries.
  • Doshi, P. (2021). Covid-19 vaccines: in the rush for regulatory approval, do we need more data? BMJ, 373, 1244.
  • Davies, N.G., Abbott, S., Barnard, R.C., Jarvis, C.I., Kucharski, A.J., Munday, J.D., Pearson, C.A., Russell, T.W., Tully, D.C., & Washburne, A.D. (2021). Estimated transmissibility and impact of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B. 1.1. 7 in England. Science, 372, 6538.
  • Dejnirattisai, W., Zhou, D., Supasa, P., Liu, C., Mentzer, A.J., Ginn, H.M., Zhao, Y., Duyvesteyn, H.M., Tuekprakhon, A., & Nutalai, R. (2021). Antibody evasion by the P. 1 strain of SARS-CoV-2. Cell, 184, 2939-2954.e2939.
  • Delta (B.1.617.2)., Government Virus Network. https://gvn.org/covid-19/delta-b-1-617-2/
  • Deng, X., Garcia-Knight, M.A., Khalid, M.M., Servellita, V., Wang, C., Morris, M.K., Sotomayor-González, A., Glasner, D.R., Reyes, K.R., Gliwa, A.S., Reddy, N.P., Martin, C.S.S., Federman, S., Cheng, J., Balcerek, J., Taylor, J., Streithorst, J.A., Miller, S., Kumar, G.R., Sreekumar, B., Chen, P.Y., Schulze-Gahmen, U., Taha, T.Y., Hayashi, J., Simoneau, C.R., McMahon, S., Lidsky, P.V., Xiao, Y., Hemarajata, P., Green, N.M., Espinosa, A., Kath, C., Haw, M., Bell, J., Hacker, J.K., Hanson, C., Wadford, D.A., Anaya, C., Ferguson, D., Lareau, L.F., Frankino, P.A., Shivram, H., Wyman, S.K., Ott, M., Andino, R., & Chiu, C.Y. (2021). Transmission, infectivity, and antibody neutralization of an emerging SARS-CoV-2 variant in California carrying a L452R spike protein mutation. MedRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Mar 9:2021.03.07.21252647. doi: 10.1101/2021.03.07.21252647. Update in: Cell. 2021 Jun 24;184(13):3426-3437.e8. PMID: 33758899; PMCID: PMC7987058.
  • Edara, V.V., Floyd, K., Lai, L., Gardner, M., Hudson, W., Piantadosi, A., Waggoner, J.J., Babiker, A., Ahmed, R., Xie, X., Lokugamage, K., Menachery, V., Shi, P.Y., & Suthar, M.S. (2021). Infection and mRNA-1273 vaccine antibodies neutralize SARS-CoV-2 UK variant. MedRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Feb 5:2021.02.02.21250799. doi: 10.1101/2021.02.02.21250799. PMID: 33564782; PMCID: PMC7872377.
  • Edara, V.V., Lai, L., Sahoo, M.K., Floyd, K., Sibai, M., Solis, D., Flowers, M.W., Hussaini, L., Ciric, C.R., Bechnack, S., Stephens, K., Mokhtari, E.B., Mudvari, P., Creanga, A., Pegu, A., Derrien-Colemyn, A., Henry, A.R., Gagne, M., Graham, B.S., Wrammert, J., Douek, D.C., Boritz, E., Pinsky, B.A., & Suthar, M.S. (2021). Infection and vaccine-induced neutralizing antibody responses to the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.1 variant. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 May 10:2021.05.09.443299. doi: 10.1101/2021.05.09.443299. Update in: New England Journal of Medicine, 7, PMID: 34013272; PMCID: PMC8132229.
  • Elbe, S., & Buckland-Merrett, G. (2017). Data, disease, and diplomacy: GISAID's innovative contribution to global health. Global Challenges, 1, 33-46. doi:10.1002/gch2.1018 PMCID: 31565258
  • Emary, K.R.W., Golubchik, T., Aley, P.K., Ariani, C.V., Angus, B., Bibi, S., Blane, B., Bonsall, D., Cicconi, P., Charlton, S., Clutterbuck, E.A., Collins, A.M., Cox, T., Darton, T.C., Dold, C., Douglas, A.D., Duncan, C.J.A., Ewer, K.J., Flaxman, A.L., Faust, S.N., Ferreira, D.M., Feng, S., Finn, A., Folegatti, P.M., Fuskova, M., Galiza, E., Goodman, A.L., Green, C.M., Green, C.A., Greenland, M., Hallis, B., Heath, P.T., Hay, J., Hill, H.C., Jenkin, D., Kerridge, S., Lazarus, R., Libri, V., Lillie, P.J., Ludden, C., Marchevsky, N.G., Minassian, A.M., McGregor, A.C., Mujadidi, Y.F., Phillips, D.J., Plested, E., Pollock, K.M., Robinson, H., Smith, A., Song, R., Snape, M.D., Sutherland, R.K., Thomson, E.C., Toshner, M., Turner, D.P.J., Vekemans, J., Villafana, T.L., Williams, C.J., Hill, A.V.S., Lambe, T., Gilbert, S.C., Voysey, M., Ramasamy, M.N., & Pollard, A.J. (2021). COVID-19 Genomics UK consortium; AMPHEUS Project; Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Trial Group. Efficacy of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (AZD1222) vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern 202012/01 (B.1.1.7): An exploratory analysis of a randomised controlled trial. Lancet, 397(10282), 1351-1362. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00628-0. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33798499; PMCID: PMC8009612.
  • Escape mutation (2021). HIV i-Base. 11 October 2012. Archived from the original on 9 May 2021. Retrieved 19 February 2021.
  • Faria, N.R., Mellan, T.A., Whittaker, C., Claro, I.M., Candido, D.D.S., Mishra, S., Crispim, M.A., Sales, F.C., Hawryluk, I., & McCrone, J.T. (2021). Genomics, and epidemiology of the P. 1 SARS-CoV-2 lineage in Manaus, Brazil. Science, 372, 815-821.
  • Ferguson, N., Ghani, A., Hinsley, W., & Volz, E. (2021). Report 50: Hospitalisation risk for Omicron cases in England [Internet]. Imperial College London; 2021 Dec [cited 2021 Dec 23]. Https://www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrcgida/ 2021-12-22-COVID19-Report-50.pdf
  • Funk, T., Pharris, A., Spiteri, G., Bundle, N., Melidou, A., Carr, M., Gonzalez, G., Garcia-Leon, A., Crispie, F., & O'Connor, L. (2021). Characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern B. 1.1. 7, B. 1.351 or P. 1: Data from seven EU/EEA countries,weeks 38/2020 to 10/2021. Euro Surveillance, 26, 2100348.
  • Garcia-Beltran, W.F., Lam, E.C., St Denis, K., Nitido, A.D., Garcia, Z.H., Hauser, B.M., Feldman, J., Pavlovic, M.N., Gregory, D.J., Poznansky, M.C., Sigal, A., Schmidt, A.G., Iafrate, A.J., Naranbhai, V., & Balazs, A.B. (2021). Multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants escape neutralization by vaccine-induced humoral immunity. Cell, 184(9), 2523. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.006. Erratum for: Cell, 184(9), 2372-2383.e9. PMID: 33930298; PMCID: PMC8082941.
  • Giovanetti, M., Benedetti, F., Campisi, G., Ciccozzi, A., Fabris, S., Ceccarelli, G., Tambone, V., Caruso, A., Angeletti, S., Zella, D., & Ciccozzi, M. (2021). Evolution patterns of SARS-CoV-2: Snapshot on its genome variants. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communication, 538, 88-91
  • Greaney, A.J., Loes, A.N., Crawford, K.H.D., Starr, T.N., Malone, K.D., & Chu, H.Y., Bloom, J.D. (2021). Comprehensive mapping of mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain that affect recognition by polyclonal human plasma a n t i b o d i e s . C e l l H o s t M i c r o b e , 2 9 ( 3 ) , 4 6 3 - 4 7 6 . e 6 . d o i : 10.1016/j.chom.2021.02.003. Epub 2021 Feb 8. PMID: 33592168; PMCID: PMC7869748.
  • Greenwood, M. (15 January 2021). What mutations of SARS-CoV-2 are causing concern? News Medical Lifesciences. Archived from the original on 16 January 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  • Greenwood, M. (2021, March 30). SARS-CoV-2 mutation T478K spreading at an alarming speed in Mexico. Https://www.news-medical.net/news/20210330/SARSCoV- 2-mutation-T478K-spreading-at-alarming-speed-in-Mexico.aspx
  • Grint, D.J., Wing, K., Williamson, E., McDonald, H.I., Bhaskaran, K., Evans, D., Evans, S.J., Walker, A.J., Hickman, G., & Nightingale, E. (2021) Case fatality risk of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B. 1.1. 7 in England, 16 November to 5 February. Euro Surveillance, 26, 2100256.
  • Guo, Z.D., Wang, Z.Y., Zhang, S.F., Li, X., Li, L., Li, C., Cui, Y., Fu, R.B., Dong, Y.Z., Chi, X.Y., & Zhang, M.Y. (2020). Aerosol and surface distribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 in hospital wards, Wuhan, China, 2020. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 26(7), 1586.
  • Gupta, N., Kaur, H., Yadav, P.D., Mukhopadhyay, L., Sahay, R.R., Kumar, A., Nyayanit, D.A., Shete, A.M., Patil, S., Majumdarm T,, & Rana, S. (2021). Clinical characterization and genomic analysis of samples from COVID-19 breakthrough infections during the second wave among the various states of India. Viruses, 13(9), 1782
  • Haseltine, W. (2021). An Indian SARS-CoV-2 variant lands in California. More Danger Ahead? Https://www.forbes.com/sites/williamhaseltine/2021/04/12/an-indiansars- cov-2-variant-lands-in-california-more-danger-ahead/
  • Havers, F.P., Reed, C., Lim, T., Montgomery, J.M., Klena, J.D., Hall, A.J., Fry, A.M., Cannon, D.L., Chiang, C.F., Gibbons, A., & Krapiunaya, I. (2020). Seroprevalence of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in 10 sites in the United States, March 23-May 12, 2020. JAMA Internal Medicine, 180(12), 1576-1586.
  • He, X., Hong, W., Pan, X., Lu, G., & Wei, X. (2020). SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant: Characteristics and prevention [published online ahead of print, 2021 Dec 16]. MedComm, 2(4), 838-845.
  • He, X., He, C., Hong, W., Zhang, K., & Wei, X. (2021). The challenges of COVID‐19 Delta variant: prevention and vaccine development. MedCOMM, 2(4), 846-854. 2021 Oct 19. https://doi.org/10.1002/mco2.95. Wiley online library
  • Horby, P., Huntley, C., Davies, N., Edmunds, J., Ferguson, N., Medley, G., & Semple, C. (2021). NERVTAG note on B.1.1.7 severity. New & Emerging Threats Advisory Group, Jan. 21, 2021.
  • https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/new-variant-ihu-identifie d-is-the-b-1-640-2-strain-riskier-than-delta-or-omicron/articleshow/88755954.cm s
  • https://www.webmd.com/lung/coronavirus-strains#1
  • Huang, C., Wang, Y., Li, X., Ren, L., Zhao, J., Hu, Y., Zhang, L., Fan, G., Xu, J., Gu, X., & Cheng, Z. (2020). Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. The Lancet, 395(10223), 497-506.
  • Hubbard, K. (2021, December 28). CDC: Omicron overtook delta as dominant variant. Https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2021-12-28/cdc-omicronovertook- delta-as-dominant-variant
  • Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) and enabled by data from GISAID 3,774 of 3,774 genomes collected between March 2020 and January 2022, last updated 2022-01-15
  • Johnson, G.C., Hosoda, S., Jayne, S.R., Oke, P.R., Riser, S.C., Roemmich, D., Suga, T., Thierry, V., Wijffels, S.E., & Xu, J. (2022). Argo-two decades: Global oceanography, revolutionized. Annual Review of Marine Science, 14, 379-403. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-022521-102008. Epub 2021 Jun 8. PMID: 34102064.
  • Jangra, S., Ye, C., Rathnasinghe, R., Stadlbauer, D., Personalized Virology Initiative study group, Krammer, F., Simon, V., Martinez-Sobrido, L., García-Sastre, A., & Schotsaert, M. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 spike E484K mutation reduces antibody neutralisation. Lancet Microbe, 2(7), e283-e284. doi: 10.1016/S2666- 5247(21)00068-9. Epub 2021 Apr 7. PMID: 33846703; PMCID: PMC8026167.
  • Katella, K. (2022, January 6). 5 Things to know about the delta variant. https://www.yalemedicine.org/news/5-things-to-know-delta-variant-covid
  • Khan, Abbas Khan, T., Ali, S., Aftab, S., Wang, Y., Qiankun, W., Khan, M., Sulman, M., Ali, S., Heng, W., Ali, S.S., Dong-Qing, W., & Mohammad, A. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 new variants: Characteristic features and impact on the efficacy of different vaccines. Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, 143, 112-176.
  • Khare, S., Gurry, C., Freitas, L., Schultz, M.B., Bach, G., Diallo, A., Akite, N., Ho, J., Lee, R.T., Yeo, W., Curation Team, G.C., & Maurer-Stroh, S. (2021). GISAID's role in pandemic response. China CDC Wkly, 3(49), 1049-1051. doi:10.46234/ccd cw2021.255. PMID: 34934514; PMCID: PMC8668406.
  • Kidd, M., Richter, A., Best, A., Cumley, N., Mirza, J., Percival, B., Mayhew, M., Megram, O., Ashford, F., White, T., Moles-Garcia, E., Crawford, L., Bosworth, A., Atabani, S.F., Plant, T., & McNally, A. (2021). S-variant SARS-CoV-2 lineage B1.1.7 is associated with significantly higher viral load in samples tested by taqpath polymerase Chain reaction. Journal of Infectious Diseases, 223(10), 1666-1670. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab082. PMID: 33580259; PMCID: PMC7928763.
  • Kissler, S.M., Fauver, J.R., Mack, C., Tai, C., Breban, M., Watkins, A.E., Samant, R., Anderson, D., Ho, D., & Grubaugh, N.D. (2021). Densely sampled viral trajectories suggest longer duration of acute infection with B. 1.1. 7 variants relative to non-B. 1.1. 7 SARS-CoV-2. medRxiv 2021. It is characterised by longer persistence and higher viral RNA loads in nasopharyngeal swabs. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 105, 753-755.
  • Korber, B., Fischer, W.M., Gnanakaran, S., Yoon, H., Theiler, J., Abfalterer, W., Hengartner, N., Giorgi, E.E., Bhattacharya, T., Foley, B., Hastie, K.M., Parker, M.D., Partridge, D.G., Evans, C.M., Freeman, T.M., & de Silva, T.I., Sheffield COVID-19 Genomics Group, McDanal, C., Perez, L.G., Tang, H., Moon-Walker, A., Whelan, S.P., LaBranche, C.C., Saphire, E.O., & Montefiori, D.C. (2020) Tracking changes in SARS-CoV-2 spike: Evidence that D614G increases infectivity of the COVID-19 virus. Cell, 182(4), 812-827.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.043. Epub 2020 Jul 3. PMID: 32697968; PMCID: PMC7332439.in SARS-CoV-2 Spike: Evidence that D614G Increases Infectivity of the COVID-19 Virus. Cell. 2020 Aug 20;182(4):812- 827.e19. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.043. Epub 2020 Jul 3. PMID: 32697968; PMCID: PMC7332439.
  • Lai, C.C., Shih, T.P., Ko, W.C., Tang, H.J., & Hsueh, P.R. (2020). Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19): The epidemic and the challenges. International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents, 55(3), 105924.
  • Liu, Y., Liu, J., Xia, H., Zhang, X., FontesGarfias, C.R., Swanson, K.A., Cai, H., Sarkar, R., Chen, W., Cutler, M., Cooper, D., Weaver, S.C., Muik, A., Sahin, U., Jansen, K.U., Xie, X., Dormitzer, P.R., & Shi, P.Y. (2021). Neutralizing activity of BNT162b2- elicited serum. New England Journal of Medical, 384, 1466-146.
  • Li, K., Markosyan, R.M., Zheng, Y.M., Golfetto, O., Bungart, B., Li, M., Ding, S., He, Y., Liang, C., Lee, J.C., Gratton, E., Cohen, F.S., & Liu, S.L. (2013). IFITM proteins restrict viral membrane hemifusion. PLoS Pathogens, 9, Article 1003124.
  • Lan, J., Ge, J., Yu, J., Shan, S., Zhou, H., Fan, S., Zhang, Q., Shi, X., Wang, Q., Zhang, L., & Wang, X. (2020). Structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain bound to the ACE2 receptor. Nature, 581(7807), 215-220. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020- 2180-5. Epub 2020 Mar 30. PMID: 32225176.
  • Lan, L., Xu, D., Ye, G., Xia, C., Wang, S., Li, Y., & Xu, H. (2020). Positive RT-PCR test results in patients recovered from COVID-19. Jama, 323(15), 1502-1503.
  • Lee, H.K., Knabl, L., Knabl, L., Kapferer, S., Pateter, B., Walter, M., Furth, P.A., & Hennighausen, L. (2021). Robust immune response to the BNT162b mRNA vaccine in an elderly population vaccinated 15 months after recovery from COVID-19. MedRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Sep 12:2021.09.08.21263284. doi: 10.1101/2021.0 9.08.21263284. PMID: 34545374; PMCID: PMC8452113.
  • Li, B., Deng, A., Li, K., Hu, Y., Li, Z., Shi, Y., Xiong, Q., Liu, Z., Guo, Q., Zou, L., Zhang, H., Zhang, M., Ouyang, F., Su, J., Su, W., Xu, J., Lin, H., Sun, J., Peng, J., Jiang, H., Zhou, P., Hu, T., Luo, M., Zhang, Y., Zheng, H., Xiao, J., Liu, T., Tan, M., Che, R., Zeng, H., Zheng, Z., Huang, Y., Yu, J., Yi, L., Wu, J., Chen, J., Zhong, H., Deng, X., Kang, M., Pybus, O.G., Hall, M., Lythgoe, K.A., Li, Y., Yuan, J., He, J., & Lu, J. (2022). Viral infection and transmission in a large, welltraced outbreak caused by the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant. Nature Communication, 13(1), 460. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-28089-y. PMID: 35075154; PMCID: PMC8786931.
  • Liu, H., Zhang, Q., Wei, P., Chen, Z., Aviszus, K., Yang, J., Downing, W., Jiang, C., Liang, B., & Reynoso, L. (2021). The basis of a more contagious 501Y. V1 variant of SARS-COV-2. Cell Research, 31, 720-722.
  • Liu, Y., Liu, J., Xia, H., Zhang, X., Fontes-Garfias, C.R., Swanson, K.A., Cai, H., Sarkar, R., Chen, W., Cutler, M., Cooper, D., Weaver, S.C., Muik, A., Sahin, U., Jansen, K.U., Xie, X., Dormitzer, P.R., & Shi, P.Y. (2021). Neutralizing activity of BNT162b2- elicited serum. The New England Journal of Medicine, 384(15), 1466-1468. doi: 10.1056/NEJMc2102017. Epub 2021 Mar 8. PMID: 33684280; PMCID:PMC7944950.
  • Muik, A., Wallisch, A.K., Sänger, B., Swanson, K.A., Mühl, J., Chen, W., Cai, H.,Maurus, D., Sarkar, R., Türeci, Ö., Dormitzer, P.R., & Şahin, U. (2021). Neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 pseudovirus by BNT162b2 vaccine elicited human sera. Science, 371, 1152-1153.
  • Madhi, S.A., Baillie, V., Cutland, C.L., Voysey, M., Koen, A.L., Fairlie, L., Padayachee, S.D., Dheda, K., Barnabas, S.L., Bhorat, Q.E., Briner, C., Kwatra, G., Ahmed, K., Aley, P., Bhikha, S., Bhiman, J.N., Bhorat, A.E., du Plessis, J., Esmail, A., Groenewald, M., Horne, E., Hwa, S.H., Jose, A., Lambe, T., Laubscher, M., Malahleha, M., Masenya, M., Masilela, M., McKenzie, S., Molapo, K., Moultrie, A., Oelofse, S., Patel, F., Pillay, S., Rhead, S., Rodel, H., Rossouw, L., Taoushanis, C., Tegally, H., Thombrayil, A., van Eck, S., Wibmer, C.K., Durham, N.M., Kelly, E.J., Villafana, T.L., Gilbert, S., Pollard, A.J., de Oliveira, T., Moore, P.L., Sigal, A., & Izu, A. (2021). NGS-SA group: Wits-VIDA COVID group. Efficacy of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Covid-19 vaccine against the B.1.351 variant. New England Journal of Medicine, 384(20), 1885-1898. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2102214. Epub 2021 Mar 16. PMID: 33725432; PMCID: PMC7993410.
  • Maggi, F., Novazzi, F., Genoni, A., Baj, A., Spezia, P.G., Focosi, D., Zago, C., Colombo, A., Cassani, G., Pasciuta, R., Tamborini, A., Rossi, A., Prestia, M., Capuano, R., Azzi, L., Donadini, A., Catanoso, G., Grossi, P.A., Maffioli, L., & Bonelli, G. (2021). Imported SARS-CoV-2 variant P.1 in traveler returning from Brazil to Italy. Emerging Infectious Diseases, 27, 1249-1251.
  • Millet, J.K., & Whittaker, G.R. (2014). Host cell entry of middle east respiratory syndrome coronavirus after two-step, furin-mediated activation of the spike protein. Proceeding of the National Academy Science U S A, 111(42), 15214-15219. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1407087111. Epub 2014 Oct 6. PMID: 25288733; PMCID: PMC4210292.
  • Mahase, E. (2021). Covid-19: Novavax vaccine efficacy is 86% against UK variant and 60% against South African variant. BMJ, 372, n296. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n296. PMID: 33526412
  • Nagpal, S., Pal, R., Tyagi, A., Tripathi, S., Nagori, A., Ahmad, S., Mishra, H.P., Malhotra, R., Kutum, R., & Sethi, T. (2022). Genomic surveillance of COVID-19 variants with language models and machine learning. Frontiers in Genetics, 13.
  • Naveca, F., da Costa, C., Nascimento, V., Souza, V., Corado, A., Nascimento, F., Costa, Á., Duarte, D., Silva, G., & Mejía, M. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 reinfection by the new Variant of Concern (VOC) P. 1 in Amazonas, Brazil. Virological. Org. 2021. Available online: https://virological.org/t/sars-cov-2-reinfection-by-the-newvariant- of-concern-voc-p-1-in-amazonas-brazil/596 (accessed on 7 June 2021).
  • Novelli, G., Colona, V.L., & Pandolfi, P.P. (2021). A focus on the spread of the delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in India. The Indian Journal of Medical Research, 153(5-6), 537.
  • Number of SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant cases worldwide as of January 17, 2022, by country or territory, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1245971/number-deltavariant- worldwide-by-country
  • Nunes, B., Rodrigues, A.P., Kislaya, I., Cruz, C., Peralta-Santos, A., Lima, J., Pinto Leite, P., Sequeira, D., Matias Dias, C., & Machado, A. (2021). mRNA vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospitalisations and deaths in older adults: a cohort study based on data linkage of national health registries in Portugal, February to August 2021. Euro Surveillance, 26(38), 2100833. doi: 10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.38.2100833. PMID: 34558406; PMCID: PMC8462036.
  • Oreshkova, N., Molenaar, R.J., Vreman, S., Harders, F., Oude Munnink, B.B., Hakzevan der Honing, R.W., Gerhards, N., Tolsma, P., Bouwstra, R., Sikkema, R.S., Tacken, M.G., de Rooij, M.M., Weesendorp, E., Engelsma, M.Y., Bruschke, C.J., Smit, L.A., Koopmans, M., van der Poel, W.H., & Stegeman, A. (2020). SARS-CoV- 2 infection in farmed minks, the Netherlands, April and May 2020. Euro Surveillance: Bulletin Europeen sur les Maladies Transmissibles = European Communicable Disease Bulletin, 25, 23. Https://doi.org/10.2807/1560- 7917.es.2020.25.23.2001005
  • Organization WH. COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update, edition 45, 22, June 2021.
  • Organization WH. COVID-19 weekly epidemiological update, edition 45, 22, June 2021
  • Ostrov, D.A. (2021). Structural consequences of variation in SARS-CoV-2 B. 1.1. 7. Journal of Cell Immunology, 3, 103.
  • Pearson, C.A.B., Russell, T.W., Davies, N.G., & Kucharski (2021). Edmunds AJ,CMMID COVID-19 Wrking group, Eggo RM. Estimates of severity and transmissibility of novel South Africa SARS-CoV-2 variant 501Y.V2 in South Africa. Preprint. First online: 11-01-2021
  • Plante, J.A., Liu, Y., Liu, J., Xia, H., Johnson, B.A., Lokugamage, K.G., Zhang, X., Muruato, A.E., Zou, J., Fontes-Garfias, C.R., Mirchandani, D., Scharton, D., Bilello, J.P., Ku, Z., An, Z., Kalveram, B., Freiberg, A.N., Menachery, V.D., Xie, X., Plante, K.S., Weaver, S.C., & Shi, P.Y. (2021). Spike mutation D614G alters SARS-CoV-2 fitness. Nature, 592(7852), 116-121. doi: 10.1038/s41586-020-2895-3. Epub 2020 Oct 26. Erratum in: Nature. 2021 Jul;595(7865):E1. PMID: 33106671; PMCID: PMC8158177.
  • Puvar, A., Pandit, R., Chaudhari, A.M., Travadi, T., Shukla, N., & Joshi, C. (2021). A simple and quick PCR based method for detection of Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2022 Jan 9] https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/ 2021.12.20.21268053v1.full.pdf
  • Rambaut, A., Holmes, E.C., O'Toole, Á., Hill, V., McCrone, J.T., Ruis, C., du Plessis, L., & Pybus, O.G. (2020). A dynamic nomenclature proposal for SARS-CoV-2 lineages to assist genomic epidemiology. Nature Microbiology, 5, 1403-1407.
  • Roy, B., Dhillon, J.K., Habib, N., & Pugazhandhi, B. (2021). Global variants of COVID- 19: Current understanding. Journal of Biomedical Sciences, 8(1), 8-11.
  • Saciuk, Y., Kertes, J., Shamir Stein, N., & Ekka Zohar, A. (2021). Effectiveness of a third dose of BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine. Journal of Infectious Diseases. Published online November 2, 2021. 10.1093/infdis/jiab556
  • SARS-CoV-2 Variant Classifications and Definitions. Available online: https://www. cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/variants/ variant-info.html (accessed on 24 June 2021). Biomedicines 2021, 9, 1303 20 of 25
  • SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as of 13 January 2022, https://www.ecdc.europa. Eu/en/covid-19/variants-concern
  • Shahhosseini, N., Babuadze, G.G., Wong, G., & Kobinger, G.P. (April 2021). Mutation signatures and in Silico docking of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern. Microorganisms, 9(5), 926.
  • Shen, X., Tang, H., McDanal, C., McDanal, C., Wagh, K., Fischer, W., Theiler, J., Yoon, H., Li, D., Haynes, B. F., Sanders, K. O., Gnanakaran, S., Hengartner, N., Pajon, R., Smith, G., Dubovsky, F., Glenn, G.M., Korber, B.C., & Montefiori, D. C. SARSCoV- 2 variant B.1.1.7 is susceptible to neutralizing antibodies elicited by ancestral spike vaccines. Cell Host and Microbe. doi: 10.1016/j.chom.2021.03.002.
  • Shree, P., Mishra, P., Selvaraj, C., Singh, S.K., Chaube, R., Garg, N., & Tripathi, Y.B. (2022). Targeting COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease through active phytochemicals of ayurvedic medicinal plants withaniasomnifera (Ashwagandha), Tinospora cordifolia (Giloy), and Ocimum sanctum (Tulsi) a molecular docking study. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 40(1), 190-203.
  • Sinha, S., Tam, B., & Wang, S.M. (2021). Altered interaction between RBD and ACE2 receptor contributes towards the increased transmissibility of SARS CoV-2 delta, kappa, beta, and gamma strains with RBD double mutations. bioRxiv. Published online January 1, 2021:2021.08.30.458303.
  • South, A.M., Diz, D.I., & Chappell, M.C. (2020). COVID-19, ACE2, and the cardiovascular consequences. American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology, 318(5), H1084-1090.
  • Starr, T.N., Greaney, A.J., Hilton, S.K., Ellis, D., Crawford, K.H., Dingens, A.S., Navarro, M.J., Bowen, J.E., Tortorici, M.A., & Walls, A.C. (2020). Deep mutational scanning of SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain reveals constraints on folding and ACE2 binding. Cell , 182, 1295-1310.e1220.
  • Supasa, P., Zhou, D., Dejnirattisai, W., Liu, C., Mentzer, A.J., Ginn, H.M., Zhao, Y., Duyvesteyn, H.M., Nutalai, R., & Tuekprakhon, A. (2021). Reduced neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 B. 1.1. 7 variants by convalescent and vaccine sea. Cell, 184, 2201- 2211.
  • Tang, J.W., Toovey, O.T., Harvey, K.N., & Hui, D.D. (2021). Introduction of the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant 501Y. V2 in the UK. Journal of Infection, 82, e8-e10.
  • Tanne, J.H. (2021). Covid-19: Moderna plans booster doses to counter variants. British Medical Journal, 26, 372n232. doi: 10.1136/bmj.n232. PMID: 33500251.
  • Team, E.E. (2021). Updated rapid risk assessment from ECDC on the risk related to the spread of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in the EU/EEAfirst update. Eurosurveillance, 26, 210-1211.
  • Tegally, H., Wilkinson, E., Giovanetti, M., Iranzadeh, A., Fonseca, V., Giandhari, J., Doolabh, D., Pillay, S., San, E.J., & Msomi, N. (2021). Emergence and rapid spread of a new severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineage with multiple spike mutations in South Africa. Nature, 592, 438-443. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03402-9
  • Thye, A.Y., Law, J.W., Pusparajah, P., Letchumanan, V., Chan, K.G., & Lee, L.H. (2021). Emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs): An impending global crisis. Biomedicines, 9(10), 1303. Published 2021 Sep 23.
  • UK Health Security Agency (2021, October 1 . Updated 2022, January 14). COVID-19 variants identified in the UK. Https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19- variants-identified-in-the-uk
  • van Oosterhout, C., Hall, N., Ly, H., & Tyler, K.M. (2021). COVID-19 evolution during the pandemic implications of new SARS-CoV-2 variants on disease control and public health policies. Virulence, 12, 507-508.
  • Vasireddy, D., Vanaparthy, R., Mohan, G., Malayala, S.V., & Atluri, P. (2021). Review of COVID-19 variants and COVID-19 vaccine efficacy: What the clinician should know? Journal of Clinical Medicine Research, 13(6), 317.
  • Volz, E., Hill, V., McCrone, J.T., Price, A., Jorgensen, D., O'Toole, Á., Southgate, J., Johnson, R., Jackson, B., Nascimento, F.F., Rey, S.M., Nicholls, S.M., Colquhoun, R.M., da Silva Filipe, A., Shepherd, J., Pascall, D.J., Shah, R., Jesudason, N., Li, K., Jarrett, R., Pacchiarini, N., Bull, M., Geidelberg, L., & Siveroni, I., COG-UK Consortium, Goodfellow, I., Loman, N.J., Pybus, O.G., Robertson, D.L., Thomson, E.C., Rambaut, A., & Connor, T.R. (2021). Evaluating the effects of SARS-CoV-2 spike mutation D614G on transmissibility and pathogenicity. Cell, 184(1), 64- 75.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.11.020. Epub 2020 Nov 19. PMID: 33275900; PMCID: PMC7674007.
  • Walker, A.S., Vihta, K.D., Gethings, O., Pritchard, E., Jones, J., House, T., Bell, I., Bell, J., Newton, J., & Farrar, J. (2021). Increased infections, but not viral burden, with a new SARS-CoV-2 variant. MedRxiv. doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.0 1.13.21249721. Preprint
  • Wang, P., Nair, M.S., Liu, L., Iketani, S., Luo, Y., Guo, Y., Wang, M., Yu, J., Zhang, B., Kwong, P.D., Graham, B.S., Mascola, J.R., Chang, J.Y., Yin, M.T., Sobieszczyk, M., Kyratsous, C.A., Shapiro, L., Sheng, Z., Huang, Y., & Ho, D.D. (2021). Antibody resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants B.1.351 and B.1.1.7. Nature, 593, 130-135.
  • Wall, E.C., Wu, M., Harvey, R., Kelly, G., Warchal, S., Sawyer, C., Daniels, R., Hobson, P., Hatipoglu, E., Ngai, Y., Hussain, S., Nicod, J., Goldstone, R., Ambrose, K., Hindmarsh, S., Beale, R., Riddell, A., Gamblin, S., Howell, M., Kassiotis, G., Libri, V., Williams, B., Swanton, C., Gandhi, S., & Bauer, D.L. (2021). Neutralising antibody activity against SARS-CoV-2 VOCs B.1.617.2 and B.1.351 by BNT162b2 vaccination. Lancet, 397, 2331-2333.
  • Walls, A.C., Park, Y.J., Tortorici, M.A., Wall, A., McGuire, A.T., & Veesler, D. (2020). Structure, function, and antigenicity of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Cell, 181(2), 281-292.
  • Wang, P., Nair, M.S., Liu, L., Iketani, S., Luo, Y., Guo, Y., Wang, M., Yu, J., Zhang, B., & Kwong, P.D. (2021). Antibody resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants B. 1.351 and B. 1.1. 7. Nature, 593, 130-135.
  • Wang, P., Casner, R.G., Nair, M.S., Wang, M., Yu, J., Cerutti, G., Liu, L., Kwong, P.D., Huang, Y., Shapiro, L., & Ho, D.D. (2021). Increased resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variant P.1 to antibody neutralization. BioRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Apr 9:2021.03.01.433466. doi: 10.1101/2021.03.01.433466. Update in: Cell Host Microbe. 2021 May 12;29(5):747-751.e4. PMID: 33688656; PMCID: PMC7941628.
  • Washington, N.L., Gangavarapu, K., Zeller, M., Bolze, A., Cirulli, E.T., Schiabor Barrett, K.M., Larsen, B.B., Anderson, C., White, S., Cassens, T., Jacobs, S., Levan, G., Nguyen, J., Ramirez, J.M., Rivera-Garcia, C., Sandoval, E., Wang, X., Wong, D., Spencer, E., Robles-Sikisaka, R., Kurzban, E., Hughes, L.D., Deng, X., Wang, C., Servellita, V., Valentine, H., De Hoff, P., Seaver, P., Sathe, S., Gietzen, K., Sickler, B., Antico, J., Hoon, K., Liu, J., Harding, A., Bakhtar, O., Basler, T., Austin, B., MacCannell, D., Isaksson, M., Febbo, P.G., Becker, D., Laurent, M., McDonald, E., Yeo, G.W., Knight, R., Laurent, L.C., de Feo, E., Worobey, M., Chiu, C.Y., Suchard, M.A., Lu, J.T., Lee, W., & Andersen, K.G. (2021). Emergence and rapid transmission of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 in the United States. Cell, 184(10), 2587- 2594.e7. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2021.03.052. Epub 2021 Mar 30. PMID: 33861950; PMCID: PMC8009040.
  • WHO . B.1.1.529. 2021 Accessed December 7, 2021.
  • WHO, coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation report-198; data as received by WHO from national authorities. CEST. 2020
  • WHO, https://www.india.com/news/world/delta-globally-dominant-covid-strainnow- spread-to-185-countries-who-4974794/
  • WHO, Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Updated on 10th January 2022, https://www.who.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/
  • WHO, Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Updated on 10th January 2022, https://www.w ho.int/en/activities/tracking-SARS-CoV-2-variants/
  • Wibmer, C.K., Ayres, F., Hermanus, T., Madzivhandila, M., Kgagudi, P., Oosthuysen, B., Lambson, B.E., De Oliveira, T., Vermeulen, M., & Van der Berg, K. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 501Y. V2 escapes neutralization by South African COVID-19 donor plasma. Nature Medicine, 27, 622-625.
  • World Health Organization (2021). The WHO Global Clinical Platform for COVID-19 [Internet]. 2021 [cited 2021 Dec10] https://www.who.int/teams/health-carereadiness- clinical-unit/covid-19/data-platform
  • Wu, K., Werner, A.P., Moliva, J.I., Koch, M., Choi, A., Stewart-Jones, G.B.E., Bennett, H., Boyoglu-Barnum, S., Shi, W., Graham, B.S., Carfi, A., Corbett, K.S., Seder, R.A., & Edwards, D.K. (2021). mRNA-1273 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies against spike mutants from global SARS-CoV-2 variants. bioRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Jan 25:2021.01.25.427948. doi: 10.1101/2021.01.25.427948. PMID: 33501442; PMCID: PMC7836112.
  • Wu, Y., Li, C., Xia, S., Tian, X., Kong, Y., Wang, Z., Gu, C., Zhang, R., Tu, C., Xie, Y., & Yang, Z. (2020). Identification of human single-domain antibodies against SARSCoV- 2. Cell Host and Microbe, 27(6), 891-898.
  • Yadav, P.D., Sapkal, G.N., Abraham, P., Ella, R., Deshpande, G., Patil, D.Y., Nyayanit, D.A., Gupta, N., Sahay, R.R., Shete, A.M., Panda, S., Bhargava, B., & Mohan, V.K. (2022). Neutralization of variant under investigation B.1.617.1 with sera of BBV152 vaccinees. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 74(2), 366-368. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab411. PMID: 33961693.
  • Yan, R., Zhang, Y., Li, Y., Xia, L., Guo, Y., & Zhou, Q. (2020). Structural basis for the recognition of SARS‐CoV‐2 by full‐length human ACE2. Science, 367(6485), 1444‐1448.
  • Yang, T.J., Yu, P.Y., Chang, Y.C., Kang-Liang, H., Hsian-Cheng, T., Meng-Ru, H., Wan- Chen, Y., Ha-Wu, C., & Shang-Hsu, T.D. (2021). Impacts on the structure‐function relationship of SARS‐CoV‐2 spike by B.1.1.7 mutations. bioRxiv. Published online May 12, 2021. 10.1101/2021.05.11.443686
  • Yang, W., & Shaman, J. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic dynamics in India, the SARSCoV- 2 Delta variant, and implications for vaccination. medRxiv [Preprint]. 2021 Nov 22:2021.06.21.21259268. doi: 10.1101/2021.06.21.21259268. Update in: Journal of Royal Society Interface, 19(191), 20210900. PMID: 34845460; PMCID: PMC8629204.
  • Yuan, M., Liu, H., Wu, N.C., & Wilson, I.A. (2021). Recognition of the SARS‐CoV‐2 receptor binding domain by neutralizing antibodies. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 538, 192‐203.
  • Yurkovetskiy, L., Wang, X., Pascal, K.E., Tomkins-Tinch, C., Nyalile, T.P., Wang, Y., Baum, A., Diehl, W.E., Dauphin, A., Carbone, C., Veinotte, K., Egri, S.B., Schaffner, S.F., Lemieux, J.E., Munro, J.B., Rafique, A., Barve, A., Sabeti, P.C., Kyratsous, C.A., Dudkina, N.V., Shen, K., & Luban, J. (2020). Structural and functional analysis of the D614G SARS-CoV-2 spike protein variant. Cell, 183(3), 739-751.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.09.032. Epub 2020 Sep 15. PMID: 32991842; PMCID: PMC7492024.
  • Zhang, W., Davis, B.D., Chen, S.S., Sincuir Martinez, J.M., Plummer, J.T., & Vail, E. (2021). Emergence of a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant in southern California. JAMA, 325(13), 1324-1326. Doi:10.1001/jama.2021.1612
  • Zhao, S., Lin, Q., Ran, J., Musa, S.S., Yang, G., Wang, W., Lou, Y., Gao, D., Yang,L., He, D., & Wang, M.H. (2020). Preliminary estimation of the basic reproduction number of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in China, from 2019 to 2020: A data-driven analysis in the early phase of the outbreak. International Journal of Infectious Diseases, 92, 214-217.
  • Zhou, B., Thao, T.T.N., Hoffmann, D., Taddeo, A., Ebert, N., Labroussaa, F., Pohlmann, A., King, J., Steiner, S., Kelly, J.N., Portmann, J., Halwe, N.J., Ulrich, L., Trüeb, B.S., Fan, X., Hoffmann, B., Wang, L., Thomann, L., Lin, X., Stalder, H., Pozzi, B., de Brot, S., Jiang, N., Cui, D., Hossain, J., Wilson, M.M., Keller, M.W., Stark, T.J., Barnes, J.R., Dijkman, R., Jores, J., Benarafa, C., Wentworth, D.E., Thiel, V., & Beer, M. (2021). SARS-CoV-2 spike D614G change enhances replication and transmission. Nature, 592(7852), 122-127. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03361-1. Epub 2021 Feb 26. PMID: 33636719.
  • Zuckerman, N.S., Fleishon, S., Bucris, E., Bar-Ilan, D., Linial, M., Bar-Or, I., Indenbaum, V., Weil, M., Lustig, Y., Mendelson, E., Mandelboim, M., Mor, O., & Zuckerman, N. On behalf of the Israel national consortium for Sars-CoVSequencing. A unique SARS-CoV-2 spike protein P681H variant detected in Israel. Vaccines (Basel), 9(6), 616. doi: 10.3390/vaccines9060616. PMID: 34201088; PMCID: PMC8228438.

Abstract Views: 189

PDF Views: 0




  • Variants of Concern of Sars-cov-2: A Review

Abstract Views: 189  |  PDF Views: 0

Authors

Dr. Shakila Mahesh
Head of Microbiology Department, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS, MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
Dr. Juhi Singhla
BDS, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
Dr. Jigyasa Gupta
BDS, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
Dr. Manya Jain
BDS, Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS MRIIRS, Faridabad, Haryana, India
Dr. Nitik Baisoya
Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS, MRIIRS Faridabad, Haryana, India
Dr. Ramya Shanta
Manav Rachna Dental College, FDS, MRIIRS Faridabad, Haryana, India

Abstract


The SARS-CoV-2 virus has infected innumerable individuals and continues to result in numerous unintended fatalities throughout the world. The Coronaviridae family includes the beta coronavirus that causes SARS-CoV-2. Over the past few months, novel spike protein mutations have become more prevalent in clinically important variants. These alterations cause the host immune system to stop recognising them. The current version of concern, according to WHO, contains the following: Alpha (B.1.1.7 9), Beta (B.1.351), Delta (B.1.617), Gamma (P.1), and Omicron (BA.1). These variants have several mutations in common with an increasing SARS-CoV-2 Variants that have just been discovered. Immune system invasion and vaccination evasion are caused by spike protein mutations. Increased transmissibility, mortality, morbidity, and possibly delayed diagnosis and treatment are the results of these impacts. The present review article discusses the numerous variants of SARS-CoV-2 with a prime focus on the Variants of Concern as per WHO. The article provides insights into the structural mutations, disease severity, and vaccine efficacy of the variants. The ongoing monitoring and control of these variants are crucial for preventing and controlling the spread of the virion.

Keywords


variants of concern, mutations, SARS-CoV-2, alpha (B.1.1.7 9), beta (B.1.351), delta (B.1.617).

References