5 COVID-19 Variants and their Unique Dangers
the most notable COVID-19 variants and the different ways they caused chaos
New variants are on the news every few months and this pandemic seems like it will never come to a close. Of these variants, though, five stand out the most and are still being spread around the world. Named with Greek letters, the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants are currently the most talked-about variants. They are more frequently discussed in reverse order since the later letters represent the newer, more dangerous variants.
These variants are associated with greater transmissibility, increased volume of symptoms, antibody resistance, and overall higher infection rates in the community. Taking a look at these variants, we can understand which ones are the most dangerous and the best methods of protecting yourself from them.
Alpha
This variant was one of the first to be discovered in late 2020 and became the dominant variant in the early months of 2021. Discovered in the UK, it has key 8 spike protein mutations and 23 total mutations that improve its ability to bind to human cells and cause infection. As a result, the Alpha variant is 30-50% more transmissible and infectious than previous strains of COVID-19.
It made news and contributed to a spike of cases around the world in the winter months, only subsiding when the Delta variant took over. The Alpha variant has spread to over 114 countries over the past year, establishing its presence throughout the world and increasing rates of infection. It was effectively combatted with increased rates of vaccination, since Pfizer, Moderna, and the J&J vaccine have worked well in protecting individuals from it. Overall, the variant has proved itself dangerous and has caused much ruckus in its time as the dominant variant, significantly more than the Beta and Gamma ones, only to be taken out by the more robust, later variants.
Beta
The Beta variant alongside the Gamma variant is one of the less-discussed variants among these five variants. It was discovered in South Africa also in December 2020 and had a brief run as the dominant COVID-19 variant in numerous countries. It has been detected in over 48 countries and has had a significant impact in South African countries especially.
The Beta variant has 8 important mutations that previous COVID-19 strains didn’t have that improve its ability to bind to cells and give it a more infectious nature. In fact, there was a 57% greater chance of death after being infected with the Beta variant in comparison to the Alpha variant. The Beta variant’s potent nature also made it one of the earlier variants that was able to decrease the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations. Pfizer and Moderna’s 90%+ efficacy rates dropped to around 75% in face of the Beta variant. The J&J and Novavax vaccines also had slightly lower efficacy rates and AstraZeneca offered little to no protection against this variant. What probably makes it deadlier than the Alpha variant despite being spread less than it is this drop in vaccine efficacy against it.
Gamma
The Gamma variant is closely related to the beta variant and the least news-making variant among all five of these variants. It emerged in Brazil in late 2020 and became the dominant variant in many places across South America. It was discovered in over 74 countries, more than the Beta variant but less than the rest of the variants.
A higher rate of younger, healthier individuals were prone to infection by the Gamma variant over earlier variants, even before vaccination rollout for seniors. This is part of what makes this variant deadlier than earlier variants and has allowed for it to thrive when vaccinations did start protecting older populations later. Antibody treatments have also proved less effective against the Gamma variant, increasing the severity of infection for those hospitalized. Thankfully, like for the Beta variant, the majority of vaccines still do work against the Gamma variant even if it’s at a slightly lower efficacy rate. Pfizer, Moderna, and J&J vaccines are still effective against preventing infection and serious symptoms of the Gamma variant.
Delta
The Delta variant has had its turn at being the dominant COVID-19 variant for the longest period of time. Also discovered in late 2020, the Delta variant emerged in India and reached prominence in the spring of 2021. Till this December, it remained the dominant variant and spread to over 130 countries, the greatest number of countries to spread to among all the variants. Its high level of transmissibility can be credited for its large impact on COVID-19 infection rates, and it caused alarmingly high case rates and death tolls in South Asia especially.
The Delta variant is also known as the double mutant due to the presence of two large mutations on its spike proteins that improve its ability to bind with human cells significantly. These two mutations along with the numerous other mutations this variant sports make it 60% more transmissible than the Alpha variant. The vaccines have also proved slightly less effective against this variant, much the majority of them are still ideal for preventing infection and severe symptoms. The Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines have around a 90% efficacy rate against symptomatic infection by the Delta variant and the Modern vaccine has an 85% efficacy against symptomatic infection.
Omicron
The Omicron variant is currently the dominant variant, surpassing the Delta variant around a week ago. It was first identified in South Africa and Botswana in November 2021 and was soon named a variant of concern. It has spread to 98 countries in the little time it has been around and proved itself quite deadly over the past few weeks, causing spikes in infection rates around the world. The Omicron variant has 50 new mutations that give it a higher rate of transmission and infectious nature, 30 of which are in the spike protein that is involved in binding to cells.
Its mutations also make human antibodies 40 times less effective in combatting infection by the variant. Vaccine efficacy has also dropped significantly with the Omicron variant, but with the help of boosters, vaccines can still boast an 85% efficacy rate against this variant. This continues to validate the promising nature of vaccinations against variants, no matter how new, dangerous, or transmissible they are. Despite this, hospitalization rates for the Omicron variant have been surprisingly low. Those infected with the Omicron variant are actually 50-70% less likely to be hospitalized in comparison to those infected by the Delta variant. However, this may be due to higher vaccination rates and immunity but it remains a promising hope as Omicron takes over.
No matter what variant is circling the globe, getting vaccinated and wearing masks remains an effective way to protect yourself. The end of this pandemic seems unclear but the steps to combat COVID-19 are still clear and should be followed.
Really insightful read. I haven’t heard of some of these variants before. I just hope this pandemic comes to an end soon.
Nianni x niannilifestyleblog
This was a really informative post since I lost track with all these different variants of covid. It is a clear and understandable summarization of each one of them. Even though things are still unclear I hope that the Omicron variant will be the last of major worry and this pandemic will come to an end. I wish that 2022 will be the year were covid will turn into just another flu!