SARS-CoV-2 Eta variant

The Eta variant is a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The Eta variant or lineage B.1.525, also called VUI-21FEB-03 (previously VUI-202102/03) by Public Health England (PHE) and formerly known as UK1188, 21D or 20A/S:484K, does not carry the same N501Y mutation found in Alpha, Beta and Gamma, but carries the same E484K-mutation as found in the Gamma, Zeta, and Beta variants, and also carries the same ΔH69/ΔV70 deletion (a deletion of the amino acids histidine and valine in positions 69 and 70) as found in Alpha, N439K variant (B.1.141 and B.1.258) and Y453F variant (Cluster 5).

Spread Eta differs from all other variants by having both the E484K-mutation and a new F888L mutation (a substitution of phenylalanine (F) with leucine (L) in the S2 domain of the spike protein). As of 5 March 2021, it had been detected in 23 countries. It has also been reported in Mayotte, the overseas department/region of France. The first cases were detected in December 2020 in the UK and Nigeria, and as of 15 February, it had occurred in the highest frequency among samples in the latter country. As of 24 February, 56 cases were found in the UK. Denmark, which sequences all its COVID-19 cases, found 113 cases of this variant from January 14 to February 21, of which seven were directly related to foreign travels to Nigeria.

Risk UK experts are studying it to understand how much of a risk it could be. It is currently regarded as a "variant under investigation", but pending further study, it may become a "variant of concern". Prof Ravi Gupta, from the University of Cambridge spoke to the BBC and said lineage B.1.525 appeared to have "significant mutations" already seen in some of the other newer variants, which is partly reassuring as their likely effect is to some extent more predictable.

Under the simplified naming scheme proposed by the World Health Organization, lineage B.1.525 has been labelled variant Eta.

Statistics + Cases by countryCountryConfirmed cases (GISAID)as of 27 August 2021Last Reported Case1,4031,18411 June 202173823 June 20216868 June 202161324 May 202151731 May 202139722 June 202125521 May 202122131 May 202117418 June 2021819 May 20217422 June 20217129 May 20215513 June 20215431 May 20215220 May 2021528 April 20214731 March 2021384 April 20213712 May 2021363 April 2021259 April 20212525 February 20212411 June 20211815 June 20211730 April 20211718 May 2021172 June 20211531 May 20211330 April 20211321 June 20211326 May 20211025 February 20211014 March 20211027 April 2021814 April 2021716 April 202172 March 202161 April 2021624 March 2021555 May 202155 June 2021528 January 2021428 March 2021425 May 2021327 March 202134 April 202129 April 2021211 March 202127 January 2021229 March 2021215 April 2021211 May 2021226 February 202121 March 202114 May 2021122 March 2021115 February 2021129 March 2021130 March 20211126 April 202112 March 2021111 May 2021128 April 202115 March 202135 August 2021121617 June 2021World (71 countries)Total: 7,129Total as of 27 August 2021

SARS-CoV-2 Eta variant

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