![]() ![]() The World Health Organization (WHO) classified Omicron as a Variant of Concern on November 26, 2021. The Department does this by studying data on sequences reported to two online databases of viral sequences: the GISAID repository and CDC’s national SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program. The New York State Department of Health is monitoring the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Omicron variant. For example, tracking a variant with high transmissibility, like the currently circulating Delta variant, can help hospitals prepare for a surge in cases. This helps us to understand changes in the number of COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations and to plan for the future. Public health agencies track the number and geographic distribution in the population of variants that are designated as being of concern or of interest. Sequencing means performing additional techniques to determine the genetic makeup of the virus after initial detection. ![]() ![]() To determine which variant has infected an individual, a sample from that individual needs to be sequenced. Not all positive COVID-19 tests proceed to sequencing for a variety of reasons. The CDC also uses the term Variants Being Monitored (VBM) as a general term for all variants of concern and variants of interest that are not the Delta variant.Īre variants determined for every positive COVID-19 test? Variants of Interest: According to the WHO, a variant of interest contains changes that may result in reduced efficacy of treatments or vaccine, increased disease severity, and increased spread from person to person.Variants of Concern: According to the WHO, a variant of concern contains changes that have resulted in one or more of the following: reduced efficacy of treatments or vaccine, increased disease severity, and increased spread from person to person. ![]() The World Health Organization (WHO) defines as the following: The original virus that was discovered in Wuhan has not been seen in the United States since the middle of 2020.Īre all variants important for public health? Since SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, was discovered, there have been hundreds of variants identified and described. When a virus has one or more new mutations, it’s called a variant of the original virus. Viruses constantly change through a process called mutation. ![]()
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