| Alpha | |
 | |
| General details | |
|---|---|
| WHO Designation | Alpha |
| Lineage | B1.1.1.7 |
| First detected | Kent, England |
| Date reported | November 2020 |
| Status | Variant of concern |
| Symptoms | |
| |
| Cases map | |
 Legend: 10,000+ confirmed sequences 5,000–9,999 confirmed sequences 1,000–4,999 confirmed sequences 500–999 confirmed sequences 100–499 confirmed sequences 2–99 confirmed sequences 1 confirmed sequence None or no data available | |
| Major variants | |
| Part of a series on the |
| COVID-19 pandemic |
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The Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) was[2][3] a SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern. It was estimated to be 40–80% more transmissible than the wild-type SARS-CoV-2 (with most estimates occupying the middle to higher end of this range). Scientists more widely took note of this variant in early December 2020, when a phylogenetic tree showing viral sequences from Kent, United Kingdom looked unusual.[4]
The variant began to spread quickly by mid-December, around the same time as infections surged. This increase is thought to be at least partly because of one or more mutations in the virus' spike protein. The variant was also notable for having more mutations than normally seen.[5] By January 2021, more than half of all genomic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 was carried out in the UK.[6] This gave rise to questions as to how many other important variants were circulating around the world undetected.[7][8]
On 2 February 2021, Public Health England reported that they had detected "[a] limited number of B.1.1.7 VOC-202012/01 genomes with E484K mutations",[9] which they dubbed Variant of Concern 202102/02 (VOC-202102/02).[10] One of the mutations (N501Y) was also present in Beta variant and Gamma variant. On 31 May 2021, the World Health Organization announced that the Variant of Concern would be labelled "Alpha" for use in public communications.[11][12]
The Alpha variant disappeared in late 2021 as a result of competition from even more infectious variants. In March 2022, the World Health Organization changed its designation to "previously circulating variant of concern".
- ^ "B.1.1.7 report". cov-lineages.org. Retrieved 29 January 2021.
- ^ "Tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants". www.who.int. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ "Variants of concern". CDGN. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
- ^ Kupferschmidt, Kai. "Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms, but its importance remains unclear". www.science.org. Science. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
peacockwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Donnelly, Laura (26 January 2021). "UK to help sequence mutations of Covid around world to find dangerous new variants". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Rachel Schraer (22 December 2020). "Covid: New variant found 'due to hard work of UK scientists". BBC. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Sugden, Joanna (30 January 2021). "How the U.K. Became World Leader in Sequencing the Coronavirus Genome". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Investigation of novel SARS-CoV-2 variant Variant of Concern 202012/01: Technical briefing 5 (PDF) (Report). Public Health England. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
PHE2102was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Explained: Why WHO named Covid-19 variants first found in India as 'Kappa' and 'Delta' | India News - Times of India". The Times of India. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 2 June 2021.
- ^ "WHO announces simple, easy-to-say labels for SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Interest and Concern". www.who.int. Retrieved 6 June 2021.