Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants: a mini-review

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over time with several mutations, especially on the spike protein, which has led to emergence of various variants. With the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 come new challenges in surveillance, effectiveness of preventive and treatment strategies, and outcome of the disease.  Despite the lockdowns, mask mandates and other preventive measures put in place, in addition to over 10 million vaccine doses that have been  administered globally as of February 2022, COVID-19 cases have risen to over 435 million and resulted in over 5.9 million deaths, largely as a result  of the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants. To review the evolution of these variants, we searched different online database sources using keywords  such as “source of SARS-CoV-2”, “SARS-CoV-2 origin”, “evolution of SARS-CoV-2”, “SARS-CoV-2 variants”, “variants of concern”, “variants of interest”,  and “variants of high consequence”. This was to enable us give a good report about the various variants of SARS-CoV-2 that have emerged so far,  and the public health challenges posed by them.