The constantly mutating SARS-CoV-2 virus has many variants, which differ from one another in terms of transmission, disease severity, and pathogenicity. And some are more of a concern to the general public than others.
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What Are the CDC’s 4 Categories of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Variants?
The SARS-CoV-2 virus, like all viruses, is constantly changing through genetic mutations that lead to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. A variant is a viral genome (genetic code) that may contain one or more mutations. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) established a SARS-CoV-2 Interagency Group (SIG) that meets regularly to assess the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2 variants circulating in the U.S. They divided SARS-CoV-2 variants into four categories, shown as follows: …