The coronavirus pathogen has continuously mutated during the pandemic, often becoming more virulent strains. Infectious disease experts maintain that the mutated strains circulating in the United States do not evade protection from vaccines available in the U.S., but they pose a danger to holdouts who have not received their shots.
In fact, hospitals in certain states with low vaccination numbers, such as Missouri, have seen an influx of patients infected with the delta variant, originally discovered in India and is estimated to be 50% to 60% more transmissible than the alpha variant, first discovered in the United Kingdom, which was circulating in the spring.
To date, more than 158 million people in the U.S. have been fully vaccinated, accounting for roughly 48% of the general population. More than 67% of adults have received at least one shot, and 58% have been fully vaccinated.
Below is a breakdown of the COVID-19 variants that have arisen as a result of constantly mutating pathogens. The World Health Organization classifies some as “variants of concern,” meaning the variants have been proven to be more transmissible, more severe, or capable of evading neutralizing antibodies in vaccinations. Meanwhile, “variants of interest” are considered ones to watch out for. They might be more transmissible than others or more severe, but further study is needed to know for sure.
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Variants in the U.S.
Delta, or B.1.617.2, variant of concern — The delta variant has recently become the dominant strain in the U.S. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that, as of July 3, the latest date for which data was available, it accounted for roughly 51.7% of cases confirmed in the U.S. Two weeks prior, on June 19, the delta variant was designated the cause of about 30% of active cases.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky has said that those who have been vaccinated are protected from infection, but epidemiologists have grown increasingly worried about the especially virulent strain currently sweeping through communities with low vaccination rates. Still, the variant has not proven to be more dangerous than others and not likely to cause a jump in deaths due to COVID-19. The delta variant was devastating for India, where vaccines are harder to come by. Cases and deaths skyrocketed in May and June, overwhelming hospitals and care providers already stretched too thin and forcing many to erect makeshift funeral pyres for their loved ones in public parks and parking lots because designated cremation grounds were full.
Alpha, or B.1.1.7, variant of concern — The alpha variant was first detected in the U.K. in September 2020 and became the dominant strain in the U.S. in April, when it caused a spike in new cases just as vaccination rates reached their peak. It was found to be about 50% more transmissible than the original “wild type” strain. But it didn’t cause a spike in hospitalizations or deaths due to COVID-19, indicating the federal government’s hawkish vaccination campaign paid off.
Beta, or B.1.351, variant of concern — The beta variant was first sequenced in South Africa in September 2020 and has only accounted for a fraction of cases in the U.S. Indeed, as of July 3, the beta variant had been the cause of just 0.2% of confirmed infections in the U.S. In addition to being the dominant strain in South Africa, it has reached 20 countries, including the U.K.
Gamma, or P.1, variant of concern — The gamma variant was first sequenced in Brazil in late 2020 after public health experts there identified an outbreak in Manaus, the capital of Brazil’s Amazonas state. The outbreak was linked to a traveler who had just returned from Japan. The CDC estimates that the gamma variant accounted for about 9% of recent cases in the U.S.
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Variants to watch
Lambda, or C.37, variant of interest — The lambda variant was first discovered in Peru last December and now accounts for more than 80% of cases there. It is now spreading rapidly throughout South America, and it has been identified in at least 29 other countries, such as Argentina, Mexico, and Germany, according to the World Health Organization. So far, no cases of the variant have been confirmed in the U.S. The WHO listed the lambda strain as a “variant of interest,” but it could be upgraded to a “variant of concern” if officials conclude that it is more transmissible than others or can evade protection from vaccinations.
The pandemic has hit Peru especially hard, and bad outbreaks in 2020, as well as 2021, were exacerbated by an underfunded healthcare system and a shortage of crucial supplies such as oxygen tanks. Peruvian health officials recently revised the tally of COVID-19 related deaths to include those that are suspected to be due to the disease but were not confirmed with a positive test. With the additional deaths classified as pandemic-related, Peru now leads the world in per capita deaths due to COVID-19 at about 595 per 100,000.
Epsilon, or B.1.429, needs continued monitoring — The epsilon variant was first detected in California in July 2020 and caused case counts there to surge in early 2021. Virologists at the University of Washington reported last week in the journal Science that the variant’s mutations allow it to bypass neutralizing antibodies produced by vaccines, potentially lowering vaccination efficacy by 50% to 70%. The variant has spread from the U.S. to about 34 other countries. However, it has not accounted for infections recently sequenced in the U.S. since mid-June, according to CDC data.
