As the COVID-19 virus infects more people, it changes and evolves. These changes, which experts call mutations, might make the virus better at infecting or spreading, or could cause people to get sicker. Viruses can also develop resistance to medicines that help prevent or treat them. This article explains what COVID-19 variants are, why they might be causing a new wave of infections, and how vaccination might protect against them.
Variants are offshoots of the main coronavirus that’s causing most cases in the United States. Scientists have been tracking their spread and behavior, giving each a name based on letters of the Greek alphabet. The most common variant now is omicron, which seems to spread more easily than delta and causes less severe symptoms. Other offshoots are epsilon, theta, and zeta.
Some of these variants are called FLiRT variants, because they have two specific gene mutations that might allow them to escape from antibodies that neutralize other viruses or block them from binding to cells. This might be why they’re more contagious than other COVID-19 variants.
One of the more interesting developments is the rise of a variant called XFG. USA TODAY reports XFG has been climbing in the ranks, from less than 1% of cases through March to 4% in April and 14% in late June.
It’s important to remember that vaccination can protect against both the original COVID-19 virus and these new offshoots. Experts have designed vaccines to match the most common strains. Vaccination can reduce the risk of serious illness and hospitalization.