As COVID-19 continues to mutate, public health agencies are monitoring the presence of variants that may cause new outbreaks or change the severity of symptoms. These are called variants of concern (VOC), variants of interest (VOI) or variants under monitoring (VUM).
As the summer approaches, virologists are watching for the appearance of new COVID-19 variants that might spark another wave of infections. This article explains what virologists are seeing, whether vaccines protect against these variants and how you can protect yourself.
COVID-19 variants are named for their unique combinations of changes to SARS-CoV-2 spike protein amino acids and how they affect the virus’s ability to bind to receptors on host cells and enter them. Mutations are identified by comparing the viral genomes from samples of human and animal hosts that have tested positive for COVID-19.
For example, the Eta variant is also known as B.1.525, UK1188, 21D or 20A/S: 484K and was first detected in New York in November 2020. It differs from the alpha, beta and gamma variants in that it does not harbor the N501Y mutation that is present in those strains. Instead it carries the E484K mutation. It also carries the D69-70 del, D144 and F888L mutations from the alpha variant and an N439 variant.
Variant classifications are regularly assessed on the basis of evidence from epidemic intelligence, genomic horizon scanning and other sources. This information is shared with European stakeholders via EpiPulse and in the ECDC’s Communicable Disease Threats Reports. As of 14 August 2025, the following table lists variants currently considered VOCs, VOIs or VUMs, along with their country of origin and the number of reported cases associated with them.