How Fast is SARS-CoV-2 Generating Mutated Variants?

After experiencing a brief decline in COVID-19 cases, the United States again sees an increase in cases throughout the country. This increase is related to the highly contagious Delta (B.1.617.2) coronavirus variant.

The less a virus spreads, the less opportunity for new variants to emerge, wrote the U.S. CDC on September 17, 2021.

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has been mutating and producing new variants since 2020. The CDC continues to study and monitor all known variants.

On August 30, 2021, the World Health Organization classified the Mu (B.1.621) variant as a Variant of Interest (VOI).

While the CDC has not designated Mu as a VOI at this time, it reached a peak in the USA in late June 2021 and has steadily declined since then.

Getting vaccinated may be the best way to prevent new variants from emerging.

According to the CDC, people infected with the Delta variant, including fully vaccinated people with symptomatic breakthrough infections, can transmit the virus to others.

There were fewer viral genetic materials for prior virus variants in samples taken from fully vaccinated people who had breakthrough infections than unvaccinated people with COVID-19.

For people infected with the Delta variant, similar amounts of viral genetic material have been found among unvaccinated and fully vaccinated people.

However, like prior variants, the amount of viral genetic material may go down faster in fully vaccinated people when compared to unvaccinated people. This finding means fully vaccinated people will likely spread the virus for less time than unvaccinated people.

'Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself, your family, and your community. High vaccination coverage will reduce the spread of the virus and help prevent new variants from emerging.'

'The CDC recommends that everyone aged 12 years and older gets vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.'

Note: The UK updated its Variants of Concern or under Investigation data up to September 15, 2021.