COVID variants: from delta to lambda, a list of variants of the coronavirus

Cases and concerns about COVID-19 are increasing in the United States and around the world. Thousands of different variants exist around the world, but some have become dominant variants of concern, the BBC reported. These new, more transmissible variants have started to spread around the world and their tracking is increasingly complicated.

Here are the worst COVID-19 variants ranked.

6. The alpha variant

First detected in the UK in December 2020, the alpha variant is more transmissible than the original coronavirus strain detected in Wuhan, China. Alpha is 30% to 50% more infectious than other variants currently in circulation, reported The New York Times.

• The alpha variant is likely to be more lethal than the original strain – around 55% more lethal, according to the New York Times
• The vaccines still work effectively against the alpha variant, Popular Science reported.

The alpha variant has been detected in more than 110 countries and became the dominant variant around the world this spring, according to the New York Times.

5. The possible ‘zeta’ variant, or B.1.621

First detected in Colombia and more recently in southern Florida, the B.1.621 variant has yet to receive a designation in Greek letters, the Washington Post reported.

• Some doctors have started calling B.1.621 the “zeta” variant, according to Deseret News.
• So far, there is no evidence that this variant causes more serious illness or escapes the vaccine’s effectiveness, according to the Washington Post.
• Even in South Florida where cases of “zeta” variants have increased, the variant still does not represent the majority of cases, according to the Washington Post.

This variant is the subject of further investigation and many questions remain unanswered. Current data on the B.1.621 or “zeta” variant remains preliminary, the Washington Post reported.

4. The delta plus variant

A mutation of the delta variant, the delta plus variant, was first detected in Europe in March, but is believed to originate in India alongside the original delta variant, the Washington reported. Post.

• The Delta Plus variant has been called a “variant of concern,” according to the Washington Post.
• However, not enough cases of delta plus infections have been identified or studied to know whether this variant is worse than the original delta variant, according to Deseret News.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not consider the delta variant plus to be independent of the delta variant, according to the Washington Post. So fully considering the danger of the delta plus variant requires understanding the danger of the delta variant.

3. The delta variant

Currently booming globally, the delta variant was first detected in India in October 2020. The strain has been shown to be more transmissible and causing more severe disease than other variants, the Deseret News reported.

• The delta variant is more transmissible than the common cold and about as transmissible as chickenpox, reported The New York Times.
• Studies have shown that the Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are less effective against the delta variant, compared to the alpha strain, according to Popular Science.
• However, vaccinated individuals are still more protected than unvaccinated individuals against the delta variant, according to the New York Times.

The delta variant has become the fastest growing worrying variant and the dominant variant in the United States, according to the New York Times. Infections are on the rise in the United States, driven by the delta strain of the coronavirus.

2. The lambda variant

First detected in Peru in August 2020, the lambda variant is believed to be more dangerous than the original strain of coronavirus, Popular Science reported. The variant has now been detected in 29 countries, including the United States, by Newsweek.

• Like the delta variant, the lambda variant is highly transmissible and considered to be more resistant to vaccines, Newsweek reported.
• Studies have shown that Sinovac vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna and Coronavac are less effective against lambda than against the alpha variant, Popular Science reported.
• “As of yet, however, there has not been sufficient data on the exact effectiveness of current vaccines against the prevention of lambda infection,” Newsweek reported.

Less research has been done on the lambda variant, leaving many questions about the strain and many unknowns, per Newsweek. Lambda has not yet been labeled a “variant of concern,” but more research is needed.

1. A variant currently unknown

As variants such as delta and lambda emerged, experts began to warn that future coronavirus mutations could lead to more transmissible and vaccine-resistant variants, the Deseret News reported.

• A variant that escapes vaccines and spreads quickly would be an “apocalyptic” variant, according to Deseret News.
• While new variants are expected, it is “impossible” to predict what shape future variants will take, Vox reported.
• The next big variation could come from one person, Newsweek reported.

Ultimately, “this is a new coronavirus,” said Preeti Malani, of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the University of Michigan, according to the Washington Post. “We are still learning more. Each of these variations brings new challenges.