Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants

All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, ... public health prompted the characterisation of specific Variants of ... Home/ Activities/ TrackingSARS-CoV-2variants  Allviruses,includingSARS-CoV-2,thevirusthatcausesCOVID-19,changeovertime.Mostchangeshavelittletonoimpactonthevirus’properties.However, somechanges mayaffectthevirus’sproperties,suchas howeasily it spreads, theassociated disease severity,ortheperformanceofvaccines,therapeuticmedicines,diagnostictools,orotherpublichealthandsocialmeasures. WHO,incollaborationwith partners, expertnetworks, nationalauthorities,institutionsandresearchers havebeen monitoringandassessing theevolutionofSARS-CoV-2 sinceJanuary 2020. During late 2020,theemergenceofvariantsthatposed anincreasedrisk to globalpublichealthprompted thecharacterisationofspecificVariantsofInterest(VOIs)andVariantsofConcern(VOCs), inorderto prioritiseglobalmonitoringand research,andultimatelytoinformtheongoingresponsetotheCOVID-19pandemic.  WHOanditsinternationalnetworks ofexpertsaremonitoringchangestothevirussothatifsignificant aminoacid substitutionsareidentified,wecaninformcountriesandthepublicaboutanychangesthatmaybe neededto respond tothe variant,and preventits spread. Globally,systemshavebeen established andarebeingstrengthened to detect“signals”ofpotentialVOIs orVOCsandassessthesebasedontheriskposedtoglobalpublichealth. Nationalauthoritiesmaychoosetodesignateothervariantsoflocalinterest/concern. Reducing transmissionthroughestablishedandprovendiseasecontrol methods/measures,aswellasavoidingintroductionsintoanimalpopulations,arecrucialaspectsoftheglobalstrategytoreducetheoccurrenceofmutationsthathavenegativepublichealthimplications.CurrentstrategiesandmeasuresrecommendedbyWHOcontinuetoworkagainstvirusvariantsidentifiedsincethestartofthepandemic. EvidencefrommultiplecountrieswithextensivetransmissionofVOCshasindicatedthatpublichealthandsocialmeasures (PHSM),includinginfectionpreventionandcontrol(IPC)measures,havebeeneffectiveinreducingCOVID-19cases,hospitalizationsanddeaths. Nationalandlocalauthoritiesareencouragedtocontinuestrengtheningexisting PHSM and IPC measures.Authoritiesarealsoencouragedto strengthensurveillanceandsequencingcapacitiesandapplyasystematicapproachtoprovidearepresentativeindicationoftheextentoftransmissionofSARS-CoV-2variantsbasedonthelocalcontext,andtodetectunusualepidemiologicalevents. Thiscontentislastupdatedon19July2022. NamingSARS-CoV-2variants TheestablishednomenclaturesystemsfornamingandtrackingSARS-CoV-2geneticlineagesbyGISAID,NextstrainandPangoarecurrentlyandwillremaininusebyscientistsandinscientificresearch.Toassistwithpublicdiscussionsofvariants,WHOconvenedagroupofscientistsfromtheWHOVirusEvolutionWorkingGroup (nowcalledtheTechnicalAdvisoryGrouponVirusEvolution),theWHOCOVID-19referencelaboratorynetwork,representativesfromGISAID,Nextstrain,Pangoandadditionalexpertsinvirological,microbialnomenclatureandcommunicationfromseveralcountriesandagenciestoconsidereasy-to-pronounceandnon-stigmatisinglabelsforVOIandVOC.Atthepresenttime,thisexpertgroupconvenedbyWHOhasrecommendedusinglettersoftheGreekAlphabet,i.e.,Alpha, Beta, Gamma,Deltawhichwillbeeasierandmorepracticaltobediscussedbynon-scientificaudiences. WhenusingthisnamingschemeandreferringtothegenomicsequenceofSARS-CoV-2identifiedfromthefirstcases(December2019),theterm‘indexvirus’shouldbeused.  31May2021 Departmentalnews WHOannouncessimple,easy-to-saylabelsforSARS-CoV-2VariantsofInterestandConcern SARS-CoV-2variants,workingdefinitionsandactionstaken Giventhecontinuous evolutionofthevirus thatleadsto SARS-CoV-2andthe constant developmentsinour understandingoftheimpacts ofvariants,theseworkingdefinitionsmaybeperiodicallyadjusted.Whennecessary,variantsnototherwisemeetingallcriteriaoutlinedinthesedefinitionsmaybedesignatedasVOCs/VOIs/VUMs,andthoseposingadiminishingriskrelativetoothercirculatingvariantsmaybereclassified,inconsultationwiththeTechnicalAdvisoryGrouponVirusEvolution(formallycalledtheVirusEvolutionWorkingGroup).  UpdatesonSARS-CoV-2classifications,thegeographicdistributionofVOCs,andsummariesoftheirphenotypiccharacteristics(transmissibility,diseaseseverity,riskofreinfection,andimpactsondiagnosticsandvaccineperformance)basedonpublishedstudies,areregularlyprovidedintheWHOWeeklyEpidemiologicalUpdates.  Variantsofconcern(VOC)Workingdefinition:ASARS-CoV-2 variant thatmeetsthedefinitionofaVOI(seebelow)and,throughacomparativeassessment,hasbeendemonstratedtobeassociatedwithoneormoreofthefollowingchangesatadegreeofglobalpublichealthsignificance: IncreaseintransmissibilityordetrimentalchangeinCOVID-19epidemiology;ORIncreaseinvirulenceorchangeinclinicaldiseasepresentation;ORDecreaseineffectivenessofpublichealthandsocialmeasuresoravailablediagnostics,vaccines,therapeutics.    Currentlycirculatingvariantsofconcern(VOCs):WHO label Pango  lineage•GISAIDcladeNextstrain clade Additional aminoacidchanges monitored°Earliestdocumented  samples Dateofdesignation Omicron*B.1.1.529GR/484A 21K,21L,21M, ,22A,22B,22C +S:R346K+S:L452X+S:F486VMultiplecountries,Nov-2021VUM:24-Nov-2021VOC:26-Nov-2021 *IncludesBA.1,BA.2,BA.3,BA.4,BA.5and descendentlineages.ItalsoincludesBA.1/BA.2circulatingrecombinantformssuchasXE.WHOemphasizesthatthesedescendantlineagesshouldbemonitoredasdistinctlineagesbypublichealthauthoritiesandcomparativeassessmentsoftheirviruscharacteristicsshouldbeundertaken.ThefulllistofPangolineagescanbefoundhere: https://cov-lineages.org/lineage_list.html;forFAQ,visit:https://www.pango.network/faqs/°Onlyfoundinasubsetofsequences EnhancingResponseforOmicron(B.1.1.529):TechnicalBriefandPriorityActionsforMemberStates PreviouslycirculatingVOCs:WHO label Pango  lineage•GISAIDcladeNextstrain clade Earliestdocumented  samples Dateofdesignation Alpha B.1.1.7 GRY20I(V1) UnitedKingdom,  Sep-2020 VOC:18-Dec-2020PreviousVOC:09-Mar-2022Beta B.1.351 GH/501Y.V2 20H(V2)SouthAfrica,  May-2020 VOC:18-Dec-2020PreviousVOC:09-Mar-2022Gamma P.1 GR/501Y.V3 20J(V3)Brazil,  Nov-2020 VOC:11-Jan-2021PreviousVOC:09-Mar-2022Delta B.1.617.2G/478K.V121A,21I,21JIndia,  Oct-2020 VOI:4-Apr-2021 VOC:11-May-2021PreviousVOC:7-Jun-2022 *Includesalldescendentlineages. 22February2022 Statement StatementonOmicronsublineageBA.2 ActionstakenbyWHOandMemberStates:  Primary actionsbyWHO forapotentialVOC: Comparativeassessment ofvariantcharacteristics and publichealth risks by WHOandtheTechnicaladvisoryGrouponVirusEvolution.Ifdeterminednecessary,coordinateadditionallaboratoryinvestigationswithMemberStatesandpartners. CommunicatenewdesignationsandfindingswithMemberStatesandpublicthroughestablishedmechanisms.  EvaluateWHOguidancethroughestablishedWHOmechanismsandupdate,ifnecessary.  FacilitatesharingofvirusisolatesviaWHOBiohub  Primary actionsbyaMemberState,ifaVOCisidentified: Submit completegenomesequencesandassociatedmetadatato apubliclyavailabledatabase,suchasGISAID.Report initialcases/clustersassociatedwithVOCinfectionto WHOthroughtheIHRmechanism. Wherecapacityexistsandincoordinationwiththeinternational community,performfieldinvestigations andlaboratoryassessments to improveunderstandingofthepotentialimpactsoftheVOConCOVID-19 epidemiology,severity,effectivenessofpublichealthandsocial measures, diagnosticmethods,immuneresponses,antibodyneutralization, orotherrelevantcharacteristics. SharevirusisolatesviaWHOBiohuband/orothervirussharinginitiatives    Omicronsubvariantsundermonitoring  LatestVOCshavelargelyreplacedotherco-circulatingSARS-CoV-2variants.Deltareachedalmost90%ofallviralsequencessubmittedonGISAIDbyOctober2021,andOmicroniscurrentlythedominantvariantcirculatingglobally,accountingfor>98%ofviralsequencessharedonGISAIDafterFebruary2022.AstransmissionoftheseVOCshasbeensustained,thishasledtosignificantintra-VOCevolution.SinceitsdesignationasaVOCbyWHOon26November2021,virusespartoftheOmicroncomplexhavecontinuedtoevolve,leadingtodescendentlineageswithdifferentgeneticconstellationsofmutations.Eachconstellationmayormaynotdifferinthepublichealthriskitposes,andeachlineagethatincludessubstitutionsinkeysitesmayneedfurtherinvestigationtoassesswhetheritscharacteristicsdivergeornotfromthosethatdefinethevariantofconcerntheystemfrom.InlightofthewidespreadtransmissionoftheOmicronVOCacrosstheglobeandthesubsequentexpectedincreasedviraldiversity,WHOhasaddedanewcategorytoitsvarianttrackingsystem,termed“Omicronsubvariantsundermonitoring"tosignaltopublichealthauthoritiesglobally,whichVOClineagesmayrequireprioritizedattentionandmonitoring.Themainobjectiveofthiscategoryistoinvestigateiftheselineagesmayposeanadditionalthreattoglobalpublichealthascomparedtoothercirculatingviruses.IfanyoftheselineagesisproventohavedistinctcharacteristicsascomparedtotheoriginalVOCitbelongsto,theTAG-VEwillconveneandmayadviceWHOtogiveitaseparateWHOlabel.  Workingdefinition:Avariantthat,accordingtophylogeneticanalysis,belongstoacurrentlycirculatingVOCANDshowssignalsoftransmissionadvantagecomparedtoothercirculatingVOClineagesANDhasadditionalaminoacidchangesthatareknownorsuspectedtoconfertheobservedchangeinepidemiologyandfitnessadvantageascomparedtoothercirculatingvariants. OmicronsubvariantsundermonitoringPangolineageGISAIDcladeNextstrain  clade RelationshiptocirculatingVOClineagesGeneticfeaturesEarliestdocumented  samples BA.4#GRA22ABA.1andBA.2sisterlineageBA.2-likeconstellationinthespikeprotein+S:del69/70,S:L452R,S:F486V,S:Q493RreversionSouthAfrica,Jan-2022BA.5#GRA22BBA.1andBA.2sisterlineageBA.2-likeconstellationinthespikeprotein+S:del69/70,S:L452R,S:F486V,S:Q493Rreversion SouthAfrica,Jan-2022BA.2.12.1GRA22CBA.2sublineageBA.2+S:L452Q,S:S704FUnitedStatesofAmerica,Dec-2021BA.2.9.1§GRA-BA.2sublineageBA.2+S:L452MMultiplecountries,Feb-2022BA.2.11**GRA-BA.2sublineageBA.2+S:L452RMultiplecountries,Mar-2022BA.2.13§GRA-BA.2sublineageBA.2+S:L452MMultiplecountries,Feb-2022BA.2.75***GRA-BA.2sublineageBA.2+S:K147E,S:F157L,S:I210V,S:G257S,S:D339H,S:G446S,S:N460K,S:Q493RreversionIndia,May-2022*thesesubvariantsaretrackedunderOmicronunless/untilsufficientevidencearisesthattheviruscharacteristicsaresubstantiallydifferentfromwhatisknownabouttheVOCtheybelongto.Ifthisevidencearises,WHOwilldecide,inconsultationwiththeTAG-VE,ifdesignationoftheemergingvariantwarrantsaseparateWHOlabel.#theselineageshaveidenticalconstellationofmutationsinthespikeandthefollowingdifferencesoutsidethespike:BA.4:ORF7b:L11F,N:P151S; ORF6:D61L,ORF1a:del141/143;BA.5:M:D3N.§theselineageshaveidenticalconstellationofmutationsinthespikeandthefollowingdifferencesoutsidethespike: BA.2.9.1:ORF1a:K322R,ORF3a:H78Y,N:P67S,N:S412I**additionalmutationoutsidethespikeprotein:ORF1a:S2519P***additionalmutationoutsidethespikeprotein: ORF1a:S1221L,ORF1a:P1640S,ORF1a:N4060S;ORF1b:G662S;E:T11A   Primaryactions byWHOforaVOC-LUM ReviewglobalepidemiologyofVOC-LUMMonitorandtrackglobalspreadofVOC-LUMIfdeterminednecessary,coordinateadditionallaboratoryinvestigationswithMemberStatesandpartnersFacilitatesharingofvirusisolatesviaWHOBiohubInconsultationwiththeTAG-VE,reviewcharacteristicsoftheVOC-LUMascomparedtotheVOCitbelongsto,andprovideaseparatelabelincasethosearesubstantiallydifferent. PrimaryactionsbyaMemberState,ifaVOC-LUMisidentified:InformWHOthroughestablishedWHOCountryorRegionalOfficereportingchannelswithsupportinginformation.Submitcompletegenomesequencesandassociatedmetadatatoapubliclyavailabledatabase,suchasGISAID. PerformfieldinvestigationstoimproveunderstandingofthepotentialimpactsoftheVOC-LUMonCOVID-19epidemiology,severity,effectivenessofpublichealthandsocialmeasures,orotherrelevantcharacteristics. PerformlaboratoryassessmentsaccordingtocapacityorcontactWHOforsupporttoconductlaboratoryassessmentsontheimpactoftheVOC-LUMonrelevantviruscharacteristics. SharevirusisolatesviaWHOBiohuband/orothervirussharinginitiatives.   Variantsofinterest(VOI)WorkingdefinitionASARS-CoV-2 variant: with geneticchangesthatarepredictedorknowntoaffectviruscharacteristicssuchastransmissibility,diseaseseverity,immuneescape,diagnosticortherapeuticescape;AND IdentifiedtocausesignificantcommunitytransmissionormultipleCOVID-19clusters,inmultiplecountrieswithincreasingrelativeprevalencealongsideincreasingnumberofcasesovertime,orotherapparentepidemiologicalimpactstosuggestanemergingrisktoglobalpublichealth.    Thereisnocurrentlycirculatingvariantofinterest(VOI).PreviouslycirculatingVOIs:WHO label  Pango  lineage*GISAIDcladeNextstrain  clade Earliestdocumented  samples Dateofdesignation EpsilonB.1.427B.1.429GH/452R.V121C UnitedStatesofAmerica,Mar-2020 VOI:5-Mar-2021PreviousVOI:6-Jul-2021 Zeta P.2 GR/484K.V2 20B/S.484K Brazil,Apr-2020VOI:17-Mar-2021PreviousVOI:6-Jul-2021 Eta  B.1.525 G/484K.V3 21D Multiplecountries,Dec-2020VOI:17-Mar-2021PreviousVOI:20-Sep-2021 Theta P.3 GR/1092K.V1 21E Philippines,Jan-2021VOI:24-Mar-2021PreviousVOI:6-Jul-2021 Iota B.1.526 GH/253G.V1 21F UnitedStatesofAmerica,Nov-2020VOI:24-Mar-2021PreviousVOI:20-Sep-2021 Kappa B.1.617.1 G/452R.V3 21B India,Oct-2020VOI:4-Aprl-2021PreviousVOI:20-Sep-2021 Lambda C.37 GR/452Q.V1 21G Peru,Dec-2020VOI:14-Jun-2021PreviousVOI:9-Mar-2022MuB.1.621GH21HColombia,Jan-2021VOI:30-Aug-2021PreviousVOI:9-Mar-2022*Includesalldescendentlineages. ThefulllistofPangolineagescanbefoundhere:https://cov-lineages.org/lineage_list.html;forFAQ,visit:https://www.pango.network/faqs/ ActionstakenbyWHOandMemberStates:  Primary actionsbyWHOforapotentialVOI: ComparativeassessmentofvariantcharacteristicsandpublichealthrisksbyWHO. Ifdeterminednecessary,coordinatedlaboratoryinvestigationswithMemberStatesandpartners.  ReviewglobalepidemiologyofVOI. MonitorandtrackglobalspreadofVOI FacilitatesharingofvirusisolatesviaWHOBiohub.  Primary actionsbyaMemberState,ifa new potentialVOIisidentified: InformWHOthroughestablishedWHOCountryorRegionalOfficereportingchannels withsupportinginformationaboutVOI-associatedcases(person, place,time,clinicalandotherrelevantcharacteristics). Submitcompletegenomesequencesandassociatedmetadatatoapubliclyavailabledatabase,suchasGISAID. PerformfieldinvestigationstoimproveunderstandingofthepotentialimpactsoftheVOIonCOVID-19epidemiology,severity,effectivenessofpublichealthandsocialmeasures,orotherrelevantcharacteristics. Performlaboratoryassessments accordingtocapacity orcontactWHOforsupporttoconductlaboratoryassessmentsontheimpactoftheVOI onrelevanttopics. SharevirusisolatesviaWHOBiohuband/orothervirussharinginitiatives  PreviouslycirculatingVOCs/VOIs A designatedVOCorVOIwhichhasdemonstratedtonolongerposeamajoraddedrisktoglobalpublichealthcomparedtoothercirculatingSARS-CoV-2variants,canbedesignatedaspreviouslycirculatingVOCsorVOIs. Thisisundertaken through acriticalexpertassessment,incollaborationwiththeTechnicalAdvisoryGrouponVirusEvolutionofseveralcriteria, suchas theobserved incidence/relativeprevalence of variant detections amongsequencedsamples overtime andbetweengeographicallocations, the presence/absence of otherriskfactors,and anyongoing impactoncontrolmeasures.MemberStatesshouldcontinuetomonitorvariantsincludingpreviouslycirculatingVOCsandVOIsandflaganyupsurgeofcasesobservedlinkedtotheseviruses.AdesignationfromcurrentlycirculatingVOCsandVOIstopreviouslycirculatingVOCsVOIsreflectsthesteepdeclineincirculationofthevariant,butdoesnotexcludeafutureupsurgeofthisvariant. VOC-definingconstellationofmutations Foreachvariant,theprofileofaminoacidchangescomparedtotheindexvirus(GISAIDAccessionID:EPI_ISL_402124)wascreatedusingoutbreak.infoandcovariants.org.VOCprofilesofSpikeaminoacidchangesVOCprofilesofaminoacidchangesinotherproteins Variantsundermonitoring(VUM) Workingdefinition ASARS-CoV-2variant withgeneticchangesthataresuspectedtoaffectviruscharacteristicswithsomeindicationthatitmayposeafuturerisk,butevidenceofphenotypicorepidemiologicalimpactiscurrentlyunclear,requiringenhancedmonitoringandrepeatassessmentpendingnewevidence.  Note:Itisexpectedthatourunderstandingoftheimpactsofthesevariantsmayfastevolve, and designatedVariantsunderMonitoringmaybereadilyadded/removed;therefore, WHOlabelswillnotbeassignedatthistime. Former VOIs/VOCs may,however, be monitoredforanextendedperiod underthiscategory, and willmaintaintheirassigned WHO label untilfurthernotice.  Variantsundermonitoring(VUMs):Thereiscurrentlynovariantundermonitoring MemberStateActions:Enhanceeffortstowardsamorerepresentativepictureofcirculatingvariantsinthecountry.Submitcompletegenomesequencesandassociatedmetadatatoapubliclyavailabledatabase,suchasGISAID.PerformfieldinvestigationstoimproveunderstandingofthecharacteristicsoftheVUMonCOVID-19epidemiology(infectivity,neutralization,severityetc.).ConductlaboratoryinvestigationstounderstandthephenotypicimplicationsoftheVUMMonitorspreadofVUMandinteractionwithothercirculatingvariantsforpotentialtooutcompetingorthriveinthepresenceofaknowndominantVOC/VOISharevirusisolatesviaWHOBiohuband/orothervirussharinginitiatives  WHOActions:ComparativeassessmentofvariantcharacteristicsandpublichealthrisksbyWHO.MonitorandtrackglobalspreadofVUM. Formerlymonitoredvariants Former VOCs/VOIs/VUMs,includingtheirdescendentlineages,thathavebeenreclassifiedbasedonatleastonethefollowingcriteria:(1)thevariantisnolongercirculatingatlevelsofglobalpublichealthsignificance,(2)thevarianthasbeencirculatingforalongtimewithoutanyimpactontheoverallepidemiologicalsituation,or(3)scientificevidencedemonstratesthatthevariantisnotassociatedwithanyconcerningproperties. Formerlymonitoredvariants(FMV):   Pango  lineage* GISAIDcladeNextstrain  clade Earliestdocumented  samples Dateofdesignation AV.1 GR-UnitedKingdom,Mar-2021 VUM:26-May-2021FMV:21-Jul-2021 AT.1 GR-RussianFederation,Jan-2021 VUM:09-Jun-2021 FMV:21-Jul-2021 R.1GR-Multiplecountries,Jan-2021VUM:07-Apr-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021  B.1.466.2 GH-Indonesia,Nov-2020VUM:28-Apr-2021 FMV:9-Nov-2021 B.1.1.519GR20B/S.732AMultiplecountries,Nov-2020VUM:02-Jun-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021 C.36.3GR-Multiplecountries,Jan-2021VUM:16-Jun-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021 B.1.214.2G-Multiplecountries,Nov-2020VUM:30-Jun-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021 B.1.1.523GR-Multiplecountries,May2020VUM:14-July-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021B.1.619G20A/S.126AMultiplecountries,May2020VUM:14-July-2021FMV:9-Nov-2021B.1.620 G-Multiplecountries,Nov-2020VUM:14-July-2021 FMV:9-Nov-2021B.1.630GH-DominicanRepublic,Mar-2021VUM:12-Oct-2021FMV:29-Dec-2021B.1.1.318GR-Multiplecountries,Jan-2021VUM:02-Jun-2021FMV:11-Mar-2022C.1.2GR-SouthAfrica,May2021VUM:01-Sep-2021FMV:11-Mar-2022B.1.640GH/490R-Multiplecountries,Sep-2021VUM:22-Nov-2021FMV:25-May-2022XD--France,Jan-2022VUM:09-Mar-2021FMV:25-May-2022 *Includesalldescendentlineages.Seethecov-lineages.organdthePangonetworkwebsitesforfurther details.    TechnicalAdvisoryGroups TechnicalAdvisoryGrouponSARS-CoV-2VirusEvolution TechnicalAdvisoryGrouponCOVID-19VaccineComposition Publications All→ 10June2021 2ndGlobalconsultationonassessingtheimpactofSARS-CoV-2VariantsofConcernonPublicHealthInterventions Download ReadMore 29March2021 GlobalConsultationonaDecisionFrameworkforAssessingtheImpactofSARS-CoV-2VariantsofConcern... Download ReadMore 8January2021 GenomicsequencingofSARS-CoV-2:aguidetoimplementationformaximumimpactonpublichealth SequencingenabledtheworldtorapidlyidentifySARS-CoV-2anddevelopdiagnostictestsandothertoolsforoutbreakmanagement.Continuedgenomesequencing... Download ReadMore 8January2021 SARS-CoV-2genomicsequencingforpublichealthgoals:Interimguidance,8January2021 Thegrowingunderstandingofhowsequenceinformationcancontributetoimprovedpublichealthisdrivingglobalinvestmentsinsequencingfacilitiesand... Download ReadMore 9August2021 GuidanceforsurveillanceofSARS-CoV-2variants:Interimguidance,9August2021 GuidanceforsurveillanceofSARS-CoV-2variants:Interimguidance,9August2021 ThisdocumentaimstodescribeaminimumsetofsurveillanceactivitiesrecommendedatthenationalleveltodetectandmonitorSARS-CoV-2variants.Itisprimarilyintendedfornationalandsub-nationalpublichealthauthoritiesandpartnerswhosupportimplementationofsurveillanceforSARS-CoV-2variants,andcomplementstheinterimguidanceonpublichealthsurveillanceforCOVID-19,whichprovidesoverallguidanceforpublichealthsurveillanceofcoronavirusdisease2019(COVID-19)inhumans. Q&A All→ Coronavirusdisease(COVID-19):VirusEvolution Coronavirusdisease(COVID-19):VirusEvolution UpdatesonVOCs&VOIs COVID-19WeeklyEpidemiologicalUpdatesSARS-CoV-2Variants,31December2020SARS-CoV-2Variant–UnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthernIreland,21December2020SARS-CoV-2mink-associatedvariantstrain–Denmark,3December2020    Sciencein5 All→ Episode#20-COVID-19-Variants&Vaccines Episode#39-Updateonvirusvariants News All→ 12July2022 Statement StatementonthetwelfthmeetingoftheInternationalHealthRegulations(2005)EmergencyCommitteeregardingthecoronavirusdisease(COVID-19)pandemic 4July2022 Statement WHODirector-GeneralwelcomesACT-AcceleratorfairsharecontributionsfromNorwayandSweden 3July2022 Departmentalnews WHOandESICMreleaseCOVID-19criticalcarecoursefornursesanddoctors 17June2022 Statement InterimstatementonthecompositionofcurrentCOVID-19vaccines