Coronavirus has mutated several times to form different variants, here's a list of COVID-19 strains

The threat of the novel coronavirus still lingers as SARS-CoV-2 keeps on mutating bringing out more variants each deadlier than the other. The different strains have been classified as 'Varaints of Concern' and 'Variants of Interest'. Here's a list of different mutations of the virus that causes COVID-19. 

A SARS-CoV-2 variant that has demonstrated that it could increase in transmissibility or detrimental change in COVID-19 epidemiology or if it increases in virulence or change in clinical disease presentation or if it decreases in effectiveness of public health and social measures or available diagnostics, vaccines, therapeutics then it classified into as a variant of concern. 

The Alpha (B.1.1.7) strain found in United Kingdom in September 2020. The Beta (B.1.351) variant found in South Africa in May 2020. Then there is Gamma (P.1) found first in Brazil in November 2020 and the Delta (B.1.617.2) variant first found in India in October 2020. 

(Image courtesy: WHO)

A SARS-CoV-2 variant with genetic changes that are predicted or known to affect virus characteristics such as transmissibility, disease severity, immune escape, diagnostic or therapeutic escape and if identified to cause significant community transmission or multiple COVID-19 clusters, in multiple countries with increasing relative prevalence alongside increasing number of cases over time, or other apparent epidemiological impacts to suggest an emerging risk to global public health. 

Eta (B.1.525) found in multiple countries since December 2020, Iota (B.1.526) first documented in USA in November 2020. The Kappa (B.1.617.1) variant from India in October 2020. The Lambda (C.37) strain from Peru since December 2020, and the latest Mu (B.1.621) strain from Colombia first documented in January 2021 are COVID-19 'Variants of Interest'.

(Image courtesy: WHO)

Though the scientists remain focussed on Delta, which is currently the dominant variant around the world, but others like Gamma and the Mu strains are being monitored. 

Notably, the virus continues to spread in areas where vaccination rates are low, presenting a global problem in the form of new variants.