COVID-19 Variants and Their Characteristics

COVID-19 has taken the world by storm and has left us struggling to resume our normal daily lives. With the emergence of the vaccines, there is hope that the end of the pandemic is near—however, news of variants of the COVID-19 virus has also emerged.

Written by Ethan Zamora

Here are some details on some of the COVID-19 variants and their characteristics:

Variant	Country of Origin	Characteristics	Are the Vaccines Effective?
Alpha	United Kingdom	The Alpha variant is claimed to be 50% more transmissible than the original virus Due to a change in an amino acid of the virus, a mutation occurred and resulted in the alpha variant	All vaccines show success in preventing most cases of the alpha variant AstraZeneca was 70% effective in preventing symptoms of COVID-19
Beta	South Africa	This variant increases the chances of contracting COVID-19 by approximately 50% In addition to the increased transmission rate, the variant mutates in a way that helps the virus invade your body’s antibodies.	Based on studies in Qatar, the Pfizer vaccines are 72% to 75% effective Receiving double doses of any of the COVID-19 vaccines should be sufficient in prevention of the beta variant
Gamma	Japan/Brazil	Like the other variants, the Gamma variant spreads faster than the original virus A mutation increases the rate of spike proteins bonding to the body Spike proteins are responsible for the virus’ access to the body	The vaccines have shown results that depict a resistance to the gamma variant, however, like the other variants, the success rate is not perfect. Breakthroughs may occur; however, these do not occur often
Delta	India	The Delta variant is the most contagious variant - reaching rates up to two times the original infection rate The delta variant makes up 80% of new COVID cases within the USA, 90% in the UK	The Delta variant may cause increased illness to even the vaccinated citizens There is greater concern for unvaccinated citizens as the transmission rate is very high.

All the variants carry potential risks of causing slightly more severe illness to the unvaccinated, however, receiving double doses of the vaccines will help resist these variants.

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