COVID-19 variants are assigned Greek letters by WHO
Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants W.H.O.
Briefly
Covid Alpha = UK
Covid Beta := South Africa
Covid Gamma =Brazil
Covid Delta := India (first)
Variants of concern
| WHO label | Pango lineage |
GISAID | clade | Earliest documented | Date of designation |
| Alpha | B.1.1.7 |
GRY (formerly GR/501Y.V1) |
20I/S:501Y.V1 |
United Kingdom, Sep-2020 |
18-Dec-2020 |
| Beta | B.1.351 | GH/501Y.V2 | 20H/S:501Y.V2 | South Africa, May-2020 |
18-Dec-2020 |
| Gamma | P.1 | GR/501Y.V3 | 20J/S:501Y.V3 | Brazil, Nov-2020 |
11-Jan-2021 |
| Delta | B.1.617.2 | G/452R.V3 | 21A/S:478K | India, Oct-2020 |
VOI: 4-Apr-2021 VOC: 11-May-2021 |
A SARS-CoV-2 variant that meets the definition of a VOI (see below) and, through a comparative assessment, has been demonstrated to be associated with one or more of the following changes at a degree of global public health significance:
Increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology; or
ncrease in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation; or
Decrease in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics
Variants of Interest
| WHO label | Pango lineage |
GISAID | clade | Earliest documented | Date of designation |
| Epsilon | B.1.427/B.1.429 | GH/452R.V1 | 20C/S.452R | United States of America, Mar-2020 |
5-Mar-2021 |
| Zeta | P.2 | GR | 20B/S.484K | Brazil, Apr-2020 |
17-Mar-2021 |
| Eta | B.1.525 | G/484K.V3 | 20A/S484K | Multiple countries, Dec-2020 |
17-Mar-2021 |
| Theta | P.3 | GR | 20B/S:265C | Philippines, Jan-2021 |
24-Mar-2021 |
| Iota | B.1.526 | GH | 20C/S:484K | United States of America, Nov-2020 |
24-Mar-2021 |
| Kappa | B.1.617.1 | G/452R.V3 | 21A/S:154K | India, Oct-2020 |
4-Apr-2021 |
Lambda = Peru (first) - WHO added June 14