New COVID Variants: Symptoms and Occurrences
Multiple variants of coronavirus have been identified since December 2020 and are still being monitored minutely. As all new COVID variants raise questions such as:
- Do you need to take new and better precautions?
- Can people still get sick fatally?
- Are the COVID-19 vaccines still effective?
Let us understand each variant in depth.
Coronavirus Variants: Symptoms and Date of Occurrences
COVID-19 or Coronavirus disease 2019 is an illness that mainly includes acute respiratory syndrome which had a grave effect on the global population. This has been the most threatening health crisis since the influenza pandemic of 1918.
The worst-case scenario is that the virus has undergone mutations and has emerged as different variants with varying symptoms which appear in the table below with their first occurrence dates.
List of New Covid Variants
COVID Variants |
Symptoms | Month of Occurrence |
| Alpha (B.1.1.7) | Cough, chills, headaches, loss of appetite, muscle aches sore throat, myalgia, and fatigue | Dec-20 |
| Beta (B.1.351) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Dec-20 |
| Gamma(P.1) | Abdominal pain, body aches, diarrhea, fever, runny nose, nausea, or vomiting | Jan-21 |
| Delta (B.1.617.2) | Fever, headache, cough, shortness of breath, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, and runny nose | Dec-20 |
| Omicron (B.1.1.529) | Fever, runny nose, fatigue, headache, sneezing, persistent cough, sore throat, chills, or shivers | Nov-21 |
| Epsilon (B.1.427 and B.1.429) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Jun-20 |
| Zeta (P.2) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Apr-20 |
| Eta( B.1.525) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Nov-20 |
| Theta (P.3) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Feb-21 |
| Iota (B.1.526) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Nov-20 |
| Kappa(B.1.617.1) | Rashes, cough, runny nose, fever, sore eyes | Dec-21 |
| Lambda(C.37) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Jun-21 |
| Mu (B.1.621) | Fever or chills, breathing, cough, fatigue, headache, muscle or body aches, loss of taste or smell, shortness of breath or difficulty | Aug-21 |
What is the new Travel advisory issued by Government of India?
As per the new advisory, Indians are advised not to travel to China, the Republic of Korea, Italy, and Iran. It also said in the advisory to not undertake any unnecessary travels to other affected nations.
In tandem with this advisory, several airlines have also suspended flights to severely affected regions. For instance, Air India and IndiGo banned flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai on 8th February. Air India extended this suspension from 2 days to the end of June.
Vistara Airlines also followed suit and reduced the number of flights to and from Singapore and Bangkok.
All About New COVID Variants
New variants of the virus were meant to emerge and are a part of the evolution of the virus. It is however necessary to closely monitor each variant that surfaces and be precautious and prepared for the worst. Hence, a list of the variants appears below to know more about each precisely.
1. Alpha (B.1.1.7)
It was detected by genomic sequencing and was reported to be 43% to 32% more transmissible. It surpasses variants that are pre-existing and emerges as the dominant variant in the UK.
2. Beta (B.1.351)
The variant resulted in several increased mutations which led to the second wave of the Coronavirus infections in South Africa. The variant transmits easily and does not neutralize easily by monoclonal antibody therapy.
3. Gamma (P.1)
This variant includes 10 mutations in the spike protein and three mutations in the RBD. The variant made its entry into 45 countries. This variant does not neutralize easily through monoclonal antibody treatments.
4. Delta (B.1.617.2)
The variant was initially regarded as a variant of interest and it rapidly spread globally and resulted in the second wave of infections in India. It involves 10 mutations of the spike protein.
5. Omicron (B.1.1.529)
It resulted in a staggering rise in the number of cases in South Africa. It even includes several other mutations of the spike protein and non-structural proteins.
6. Epsilon (B.1.427 and B.1.429)
This new variant of corona is known for its staggering surge in transmission, which is relative to the circulation of the wild-type strain. The variant involves specific mutations and due to its rapid transmissibility, it was classified as a covid variant of concern in the US.
7. Zeta (P.2)
The variant has key spike mutations and possesses a potential reduction capacity of neutralization by treatments with antibodies and vaccine sera. The variant was detected first in Brazil.
8. Theta (P.3)
The variant involves key spike mutations and is categorized as a variant of interest. It was detected first in the Philippines.
9. Eta (B.1.525)
This variant involves key spike mutations and was categorised as a variant of interest due to its potential capacity to reduce the neutralization through antibody treatments and the vaccine sera. It was first detected in New York.
10. Iota (B.1.526)
This variant is one of interest and it increases infection fatality rate by substantial percentages. It is a spike protein fragment.
11. Kappa (B.1.617.1)
The variant involves key mutations and gets categorized as a variant of interest. It involves the spike Pseudotyping Vector.
New COVID Variants Under Monitoring
These variants are currently under monitoring:
1. Mu (B.1.621)
It was detected in Columbia and was noted as a variant of interest. It involves constellation mutations.
2. Lambda (C.37)
The variant was first identified in Peru. It was highly present in several regions of South America. It subsequently spread to 41 countries and 4 continents.
Although new COVID variants are in circulation with the older variant, the older variant are existing at negligible or undetectable levels. They however are not a threat as significant to global public health.
FAQs on New COVID Variants
Is it necessary to worry about the new strain of coronavirus?
The strain is more contagious and the infection and mortality rate are likely to increase as more people get infected.
Is the Omicron variant still around?
Researchers suggest the Omicron to be gone by now and is replaced by sub-variants.
Does the Omicron variant spread faster than the older coronavirus variants?
Yes, the variant is found to spread faster than the preexisting variants and it spreads by air.
What is the Lambda variant of Covid-19?
First detected in the year 2020, the Lambda variant of Covid is found to be a bit resistant to vaccines. It has been classified as a “variant of interest” by the WHO.
What is the MU variant of Covid-19?
The WHO has categorised the MU variant as a variant of interest after it was first detected in Columbia in 2021.