The World Health Organization (WHO) is updating the method of tracking and naming new covid variants. Here’s everything you need to know as the omicron is evolving.
How is WHO tracking and naming new covid variants?
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement that it is updating the working definitions of the new covid variants. This is aimed to “better correspond to the current global variant landscape, to independently evaluate Omicron sublineages in circulation, and classify new variants more clearly when required”. So far, all sublineages of the Omicron variant were classified as Omicron Variant Of Concern. Hence, they “did not have the granularity needed to compare new descendent lineages with altered phenotypes to the Omicron parent lineages.”
Since March 15, WHO is classifying Omicron sublineages separately as Variant Of Interest (VOI), Variant Of Concern (VOC), and Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). Additionally, it will also update the working definition of VOI and VOC. Thereby making the former definitions more specific. They will include the major evolutionary steps of SARS-CoV-2 that call for public health interventions.
More on the statement
Going forward, the WHO will be using the Greek alphabet for new VOC covid variants. However, this is not applicable to VOIs. “With these changes factored in, Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, as well as the Omicron parent lineage (B.1.1.529), are considered previously circulating VOCs. WHO has now classified XBB.1.5 as a VOI,” explained WHO.
So far, Omicron is the “most divergent VOC (Variant Of Concern) seen to date”. As per WHO, this is because even three years after the pandemic began, the coronavirus is continuing to mutate. “The Omicron viruses have continued to evolve genetically and antigenically with an expanding range of sublineages,” stated the WHO.