COVID19 Variant

Alpha - B.1.1.7

First identified: United Kingdom

Spread: Spreads much faster than other variants

Severe illness and death: May potentially cause more people to get sicker and to die

Vaccine: Currently authorized vaccines do work against this variant. Some breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated people are expected but remain rare. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization, and death.

Treatments: Treatments are effective against this variant

Beta - B.1.351

First identified: South Africa

Spread: May spread faster than other variants

Severe illness and death: Current data do not indicate more severe illness or death than other variants

Vaccine: Currently authorized vaccines do work against this variant. Some breakthrough infections are expected, but remain rare. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.

Treatments: Certain monoclonal antibody treatments are less effective against this variant

Gamma - P.1

First identified: Japan/Brazil

Spread: Spreads faster than other variants

Severe illness and death: Current data do not indicate more severe illness or death than other variants

Vaccine: Currently authorized vaccines do work against this variant. Some breakthrough infections are expected, but remain rare. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.

Treatments: Certain monoclonal antibody treatments are less effective against this variant

Delta - B.1.617.2

First identified: India

Spread: Spreads much faster than other variants

Severe illness and death: May cause more severe cases than the other variants

Vaccine: Infections happen in only a small proportion of people who are fully vaccinated, even with the Delta variant. Some breakthrough infections are expected, but remain rare. However, preliminary evidence suggests that fully vaccinated people who do become infected with the Delta variant can spread the virus to others. Learn more here. All vaccines are particularly effective against severe illness, hospitalization and death.

Treatments: Certain monoclonal antibody treatments are less effective against this variant

Lambda variant?

The lambda variant was first identifiedTrusted Source in Peru in December 2020.

In June, the World Health Organization (WHO)Trusted Source labeled lambda a “variant of interest” based on the presence of several concerning genetic changes.

“Lambda carries a number of mutations with suspected phenotypic implications, such as a potential increased transmissibility or possible increased resistance to neutralizing antibodies,” the WHO wrote in its Weekly Epidemiological UpdateTrusted Source published on June 15.

These mutations suggest the variant might spread faster or evade protection offered by COVID-19 vaccines.

Variants of interest may also cause significant transmission in the community or multiple clusters of COVID-19 cases.

“Lambda has been associated with substantive rates of community transmission in multiple countries, with rising prevalence over time concurrent with increased COVID-19 incidence,” the WHO wrote in its June 15 update.

This has occurred in South America, which is a coronavirus hot spot, with explosive growth in cases and very few people vaccinated due to a shortage of vaccine doses.

Countries there have also seen a rapid spread of lambda.

In December, the lambda variant accounted for 1 in 200 coronavirus samples tested in Peru, according to Financial Times. By March, it accounted for 50 percent of samples in Lima, the country’s capital. Now it is at 82 percent.

Lambda is now in 31 countries, according to data from GISAID, including the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada.