Like all other living things, viruses are constantly changing to adapt to their environments, and this causes new strains, variants or even a new virus to form. In most cases, a variant will not affect the virus’ function and effect significantly, but they can cause it to behave differently.
Coronaviruses are not a new phenomenon; in fact, they are a large category of viruses that have existed for a long time. They include viruses like the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
The newest type is SARS-CoV-2, or the virus that causes COVID-19.
The Original COVID-19 Virus
The original COVID-19 coronavirus was first discovered in Wuhan, China, and can be known as the L strain. Due to being the first strain that affect humans, it is also the most heavily researched and vaccines. However, due to the widespread development of the other strains, this original L strain is actually gradually disappearing.
Alpha (B.1.1.7)
Alpha was discovered in late 2020 when gene mutations were noted in COVID-19 cases found in the southeastern part of England. Later on, this variant was also found in many other countries, including the United States. While it is unlikely that the new mutation in the Alpha variant would have rendered all the research done on the original strain obsolete, there were research estimates that the Alpha strain was up to 70% more transmissible and could possibly carry a higher fatality rate.
Beta (B.1.351)
Although there are debates on where this variant is first found, luckily it does not seem to cause a worsening of effects. However, it has been observed to be more contagious than the original strain.
Gamma (P.1)
Gamma was discovered in early 2021 when this new strain was found in people who had traveled to Japan from Brazil. It was discovered in the United States within a month. Gamma was expected to be even more contagious than the earlier strains and could potentially affect individuals who had already recovered from COVID-19. In fact, some premature research findings might suggest that the variant is able to evade antibodies, making it harder for bodies to build an immune defense against it.
Delta (B.1.617.2)
Delta was first observed in India in late 2020. This variant later caused an alarming surge of cases in mid-2021. It is currently the dominant strain in the United Kingdom and the United States and can also be found in over 43 countries due to its highly contagious nature. Experts have suggested that Delta might be up to 50% more contagious than other variants. Unfortunately, the Delta variant has been seen to affect the severity of symptoms in infected people. Luckily, vaccines have been shown to still be effective against the strain and can not only slow the spread, but also help reduce the chances of severe symptoms and death.
