Viruses mutate all the time, and when that happens they can change how fast they spread or whether vaccines and treatments work. When a new variant shows up, experts keep track of it. They look at the genetic markers that identify it. They can also use tests like genome sequencing to see what kinds of changes it has made.
A COVID-19 variant might be easier to catch than others, or it may cause symptoms that don’t seem to be as bad. If those differences can help scientists predict how likely it is that the variant will cause more severe illness, send people to the hospital or even kill them. That’s why it’s important to stay up to date on the latest virus news.
Here’s a quick summary of the different COVID-19 variants circulating right now.
The CDC’s Nowcast estimates tracker shows projections for which strains will make up the majority of cases in the United States. The most common is the Omicron “stealth” variant (BA.2), making up 37% of the total number of cases in the country. The next most common is NB.1.8.1 with 12%, followed by XFG with 8% and XFC with 7%.
Using the GISAID EpiCoV database, we can get an accurate picture of how many cases of each variant are occurring in the United States and which ones are spreading more quickly or leading to more serious symptoms than other strains. But those predictions depend on what samples are collected and how quickly they are tested. The Wadsworth Center and other labs around the state collect specimens from patients and perform genome sequencing on them. The data are then uploaded into public databases, primarily GISAID EpiCoV.