What is the current situation regarding SARS-CoV-2 viral variants? One criterion for a VoC should be that it becomes dominant over other SARS-CoV-2 lineages in circulation. Pi, the next one in line, will probably not look like Omicron or any of its sub-lineages (including XBB1.5). Five VoCs have been identified to date and all have received a Greek letter: Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron. We use the term to describe the SARS-CoV-2 ‘ Variants of Concern’ (VoCs) flagged by the World Health Organisation (WHO) because those lineages proved to be more transmissible, more virulent, and/or better at evading previous immunity. What we call variant is more restrictive than what most people or the media have in mind. Let’s start by defining the term viral “variant” In this interview, they give us valuable insight on what is driving viral evolution and what to expect in the future. They form part of the EU-funded END-VOC project, which aims to evaluate the circulation and impact of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants. ![]() François Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, and his colleagues Lucy van Dorp and Damien Richard, have been closely watching the virus since the early days of the pandemic. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has shown a remarkable capacity to adapt to its human host over a short period of time. ![]() ![]() Interview on the emergence of new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, with three researchers from the END-VOC project: François Balloux, Director of the Institute of Genetics at University College London, and his colleagues Lucy van Dorp and Damien Richard. AIGHD Senior Fellow, Anniek de Ruijter, is the AIGHD research lead for the END-VOC project, which is explained in detail in the story below.
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