In 2021, several new variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged and spread throughout the world. Some of these new variants include the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, and Eta strains.
The rapid spread of the Alpha variant
While the SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant was first detected in the United Kingdom, it quickly spread to other countries around world. In fact, by mid-January 2021, the Alpha variant was detected in twelve states in the United States of America. Simultaneously, this variant had also become the dominant circulating strain in Israel, where it accounted for more than 90% of new cases.
