Variants of the COVID Virus before the Onset of Omicron

ABSTRACT

COVID-19 belongs to a group of Coronavirus diseases that SARS-CoV-2 causes. The virus spreads from one person to another via the respiratory droplets from an infected individual produced when such an individual coughs, talks, or sneezes. The symptoms of the diseases range from mild to severe, and individuals at age extremities, that are, very old (from 65 years of age), are highly exposed to severe complications. The symptoms manifest from the second day, fourteen days after exposure to the virus. COVID strains keep on changing as a result of mutations in the viral genomic composition. Different variants of COVID-19 exist;these variants vary in severity, as reported by the World Health Organization. There are thousands of variants of COVID in the world;the virus mutates all the time, making the changes inconsequential. Some of the mutations make the virus more infectious, and some mutated viral strains tend to be dominant. Variants of concern include those that have the most potentially concerning changes. India is among the nations where the virus strains have been reported to dominate and spread to other nations. The virus is claiming the lives of many individuals, with every strain spreading from one country to another. The article will address the research review on types of COVID variants and COVID-19 epidemiology in the world. Copyright © 2022, Institute of Medico-legal Publication. All rights reserved.