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COVID-19: Variants of Concern (VOCs)

Information surveillance of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

Acknowledgement

This information is a summary taken from the updates noted in PHO's Daily Scan of Public Health Organizations which is compiled by PHO Library Services. Other content sources include: CoVariants, PubMed, LitCovid, & medRxiv.org - the preprint server for Health Sciences.

Australia

COVID-19 vaccines, cases, hospitalisations, deaths and variants [Australia, NSW July 15, 2021]
COVID-19 Monitor COVID-19 vaccines, cases and variants [NSW Australia, Jun 17th, 2021]

Canada

Canada/ PHAC

A window of opportunity for intensifying testing and tracing efforts to prevent new COVID-19 outbreaks due to more transmissible variants

British Columbia / BCCDC

COVID-19 Variants [bccdc.ca]

Ontario/ Public Health Ontario

Interim Guidance for Infection Prevention and Control of SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern for Health Care Settings [Aug 6, 2021]
COVID-19 B.1.351 (501Y.V2) variant of concern – what we know so far [Public Health Ontario, Feb. 7, 2021]

Quebec/ INSPQ

Définitions pour la vigie sanitaire des variants du SRAS-CoV-2 et classification des lignées détectées au Québec [08-16-2021]

Other Agencies

What is the epidemiology of variants and what are the implications for healthcare? [Evidence Reviews, Jun 2, 2021]

CIDRAP

Some Asian nations still in grips of Delta surge [CIDRAP, 08-13-2021]
Parts of Southeast Asia still in the heat of Delta battles [CIDRAP, 08-10-2021]
Delta COVID variant surges in Asia, casts shadow on Olympics [CIDRAP, 07-08-2021]
CDC: Delta variant now 50% of US COVID-19 cases [CIDRAP 07-07-2021]
mRNA vaccines ease breakthrough COVID; Novavax helps block variant [CIDRAP, 07-01-2021]
Africa, Europe feel impact of COVID-19 Delta variant spread [CIDRAP, 07-01-2021]
Global COVID cases rise a bit; Delta variant in nearly 100 nations [CIDRAP, 06-30-2021]
COVID-19 update (222): Russia, delta variant, US, Afghanistan, WHO[ProMED, 06-28-2021]
Delta COVID variant fuels global surges, complicates reopenings [CIDRAP, 06-24-2021]
Experts: mRNA COVID-19 vaccines likely tied to heart inflammation [CIDRAP, 06-23-2021]
Alpha SARS-CoV-2 variant tied to more severe outcomes [CIDRAP, 06-23-2021]
ECDC warns of extensive Delta COVID-19 variant spread this summer [CIDRAP, 06-23-2021]
Youth, Delta variant behind UK COVID surge [CIDRAP, 06-17-2021]
CDC: Delta variant now 10% of US COVID-19 cases [CIDRAP, 06-16-2021]
Delta variant makes up 6% of US COVID-19 cases [CIDRAP, 06-09-2021]

England or UK

Confirmed cases of COVID-19 variants identified in UK [UK PHE, updated regularly]
COVID-19 variants: genomically confirmed case numbers [UK PHE, updated regularly]
Further measures in additional areas to tackle Delta (B1.617.2) variant [UK, 06-08-2021]
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: routine variant data update [UK PHE, updated regularly]
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: technical briefings [UK, updated regularly]
Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern: variant risk assessments [UK PHE, updated regularly]
Report 44 - Recent trends in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in England [UK Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis, 05-20-2021]
Risk assessment for SARS-CoV-2 variant: VOC-21APR-02 (B.1.617.2) [UK, May 22, 2021]
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and variants under investigation in England Technical briefing 19 [UK PHE, Jul 23, 2021]
Surge testing for new coronavirus (COVID-19) variants [UK, updated 06-25-2021]

Imperial College London:

Evaluating the roadmap out of lockdown – modelling Step 4 of the roadmap in the context of B.1.617.2 (Delta), 9 June 2021 [UK Imperial College, updated 06-14-2021]

EU (ECDC)

Data on SARS-CoV-2 variants in the EU/EEA [ECDC, Download in XLSX format]
ECDC statement on the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in the EU/EEA [ECDC, 06-23-2021]
Infographic: Mutation of SARS-CoV2 - current variants of concern, updated 19 April 2021 [ECDC, PNG file]
Methods for the detection and identification of SARS-CoV-2 variants [ECDC, March 3, 2021]
Rapid risk assessment: Assessing SARS-CoV-2 circulation, variants of concern, non- pharmaceutical interventions and vaccine rollout in the EU/EEA, 15th update [ECDC, 06-10-2021]
SARS-CoV-2 resurgence in EU and EEA related to relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions and increasing spread of Delta variant [ECDC, 07-16-2021]
Threat assessment brief: Implications for the EU/EEA on the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta (B.1.617.2) variant of concern [ECDC, 06-23-2021]

ProMED

COVID-19 update (280): new variant B.1.621, Canada, regional, WHO [ProMED, 08-14-2021]
COVID-19 update (277): variant names, Bangladesh, SE Asia, vaccine adverse events, WHO [ProMED, 08- 12-2021]
COVID-19 update (275): Israel vaccine, delta variant PAHO, WHO [ProMED, 08-10-2021]
COVID-19 update (273): vaccine effect, motorcycle rally, delta variant, WHO [ProMED, 08-09-2021]
COVID-19 update (255): Indonesia medic. fatal. & variants, nasal involv., WHO ProMED, 26 Jul 2021 ]
COVID-19 update (252): lambda variant, South Asia, Viet Nam, malnutrition, WHO ProMED, 24 Jul 2021 ]
COVID-19 update (251): USA delta variant, Israel vaccines, Olympics, WHO, global ProMED, 23 Jul 2021 ]
COVID-19 update (248): immunity and variants, vaccines, azithromycin, WHO ProMED, 20 Jul 2021 ]
COVID-19 update (241): South Africa, beta variant, vaccines, Netherlands, WHO [ProMED, 07-14-2021]
COVID-19 update (234): USA delta var, mAb, Indonesia, long COVID & children, WHO [ProMED, 07-07-2021]
COVID-19 update (232): South Africa, USA delta var., India, Israel, WHO, global [ProMED, 07-06-2021]
COVID-19 update (229): Lambda variant, diagnostics, prisons, CIDRAP, global [ProMED, 07-04-2021]
COVID-19 update (227): Delta variant Europe, Africa, Novavax, WHO, global[ProMED, 07-02-2021]
COVID-19 update (222): Russia, delta variant, US, Afghanistan, WHO[ProMED, 06-28-2021]
COVID-19 update (217): cognitive, Delta plus variants, immunity, WHO, global [ProMED, 06-24-2021]
COVID-19 update (216): Delta, Delta plus variants, Chinese vaccines, WHO, global [ProMED, 06-23-2021]
COVID-19 update (210): mucormycosis, Delta var US, quarantine transmission, WHO [ProMED, 06-17- 2021]
COVID-19 update (198): MCT, mucormycosis, Europe variant origin, WHO [06-07-2021]
COVID-19 update (196): delta variant, vacc. children, VITT ischaemic stroke, WHO [06-06-2021]

USA (CDC)

CDC’s ro le in tracking v ariants [06-17-2021]
EARLY RELEASE: SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant COVID-19 outbreak associated with a gymnastics facility — Oklahoma, April–May 2021 [CDC,07-09-2021]
Genomic surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the United States, December 2020- May 2021 [CDC, 06-10-2021]
SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) variant COVID-19 outbreak associated with a gymnastics facility — Oklahoma, April–May 2021 [CDC, 07-15-2021]
Rapid Increase in Circulation of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.2 (Delta) Variant - Mesa County, Colorado, April-June 2021. [MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Aug 13]

WHO

Guidance on conducting vaccine effectiveness evaluations in the setting of new SARS-CoV-2 variants: Interim guidance, 22 July 2021. Addendum to Evaluation of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness [WHO, 07-23-2021]
Guidance for surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 variants: Interim guidance, 9 August 2021 [08-09-2021]
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants (who.int) [WHO, updated regularly]
WHO announces simple, easy-to-say labels for SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern [WHO]
WHO’s new variant nomenclature scheme [WHO]

Other

Published Articles (Selective)

Progress of the COVID-19 vaccine effort: viruses, vaccines and variants versus efficacy, effectiveness and escape. Nat Rev Immunol. 2021 Aug 9

Tracking Variants

Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants [WHO]

CoVariants [Emma Hodcroft, PhD, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Switzerland, updated regularly]