Time Course
In the last 6 months, 3 new members of the omicron (B.1.1.529) lineage have emerged, and subsequently been recognized as variants of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization (WHO), which are the BA.2.75, XBB, and BQ.1 subvariants that rose to prominence between July and October 2022. Each of these VOIs has brought along an array of novel mutable sites crucial for refining the viral fitness of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Leading mutations identified by our deLemus analysis that emerged within the aforementioned timeframe are listed as follows:
Within the first 2 years of this pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has already announced 4 variants of concern (VOC), which are the previously circulating α (B.1.1.7), β (B.1.351), γ (P.1), and δ (B.1.617.2) strains, and many other variants of interest (VOI). The successive emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants has brought along many novel mutations, most of which continually refine and improve the fitness of the virus. The identified leading mutations before the outbreak of those VOCs are listed as follows:
