SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant
The Beta variant,[1][2] (B.1.351),[a] was[5][6] a variant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. One of several SARS-CoV-2 variants initially believed to be of particular importance, it was first detected in the Nelson Mandela Bay[7] metropolitan area of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa in October 2020,[8] which was reported by the country's health department on 18 December 2020.[9] Phylogeographic analysis suggests this variant emerged in the Nelson Mandela Bay area in July or August 2020.[10]
This article is about the Beta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19. It is not to be confused with the genus of Betacoronavirus.General details
The World Health Organization labelled the variant as Beta variant, not to replace the scientific name but as a name for the public to commonly refer to.[11][12] The WHO considers it to be a variant of concern no longer in circulation.[5]
Names[edit]
The variant is also known as the South African variant.
Amino acid mutations of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant plotted on a genome map of SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on Spike.[13]
![Amino acid mutations of SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant plotted on a genome map of SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on Spike.[13]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/SARS-CoV-2_Beta_variant.svg/3990px-SARS-CoV-2_Beta_variant.svg.png)
There are three mutations of particular interest in the spike region of the lineage B.1.351 genome:[14]
and a further five spike mutations which have so far generated less concern:[14]
Away from the spike region, it also carries: K1655N, SGF 3675-3677 deletion, P71L, and T205I.[15]
Scientists noted that the variant is able to attach more easily to human cells because of three mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) in the spike glycoprotein of the virus: N501Y[9][16] (a change from asparagine (N) to tyrosine (Y)[17] in amino-acid position 501), K417N, and E484K.[18][19] Two of these mutations, E484K and N501Y, are within the receptor-binding motif (RBM) of the receptor-binding domain (RBD).[20][21]
The N501Y mutation has also been detected in the United Kingdom.[9][22] Two mutations found in the Beta variant, E484K and K417N, are not found in Alpha variant. Also, Beta does not have the 69-70del mutation found in the other variant.[16][23]
Epidemiology[edit]
Researchers and officials reported that the prevalence of the variant was higher among young people with no underlying health conditions, and more frequently causes serious illness in such cases than other variants.[60][61] The South African health department also indicated that the variant may be driving the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, as the variant spreads faster than other earlier variants of the virus.[9][60]
History[edit]
A genomics team led by the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal discovered the new variant.[62] It was uncovered by whole genome sequencing. Several genomic sequences from this lineage were submitted to the GISAID sequence database.[63]
On 23 December 2020, UK health minister Matt Hancock announced that two people who had travelled from South Africa to the UK were infected with the Beta variant (501.V2 variant).[23][64] On 28 December, the variant had been detected in two people in Switzerland[65] and in one in Finland.[66] On 29 December, the strain had been detected in a visitor from South Africa to Japan,[67] and in one overseas traveller to Queensland, Australia.[68] On 30 December the variant was detected in Zambia.[69] On 31 December, it was also detected in France, in a passenger returning from South Africa.[70] On 2 January 2021, the first case of this variant was detected in South Korea.[71] Austria reported their first case of this variant, along with four cases of the Alpha variant on 4 January.[72] The Republic of Botswana also detected their first case on 4 January.[73] The People's Republic of China reported the first case of this variant in southern Guangdong province on 6 January.[74]
On 8 January 2021, the Republic of Ireland reported the detection of 3 cases, all linked to travel from South Africa.[75] On the same day a case of reinfection with the new variant by a woman who had had COVID-19 was reported from Brazil, the first such reinfection reported in the world.[29] Canada reported the first case of this variant in Alberta on 9 January,[76] and Israel reported four cases, all of which were imported in people travelling from South Africa.[77] New Zealand reported the first case of this variant on 10 January.[78][79] On 12 January, Germany reported the detection of the mutation in six people from three different households.[80] The same day, it was reported that the United Kingdom had a total of 29 cases, two of which were previously reported.[81] The following day, Belgium reported the first case in a person from West Flanders with no travel history,[82] Israel reported four further cases,[83] and Taiwan reported the first case in a Swazi man in his 30s who had tested positive for COVID-19 on 1 January.[84]
On 14 January, Germany detected a further case[85] and the following day, Canada reported a second case of the mutation which was detected in the Canadian province of British Columbia.[86] A further case was reported in Germany the same day.[87] Denmark and Réunion reported their first cases on 16 January as Israel discovered a further four cases.[88][89][90] On 17 January, Israel reported another four cases bringing their total number of cases of this variant to 20.[91] Two further cases were reported in The Netherlands on 18 January bringing the country's total to three.[92] Ghana reported its first case of the variant on 19 January.[93] On 23 January, Panama detected its first case of the strain in a person from Zimbabwe, who had travelled from South Africa.[94] Also on 23 January, Belgium reported at least 15 cases of the variant in Ostend,[95] while 6 cases were confirmed in the Comoros.[96] On 26 January, the Republic of Ireland reported the detection of 6 further cases.[97] The United States reported its first cases of the variant on 28 January 2021, in the state of South Carolina.[98] On 27 January, Israel reported 3 more cases which were the first cases of the variant from samples that were collected in the community randomly, without knowing the source of infection.[99] Preliminary data reported by Africa CDC on 29 January indicated that the variant had reached Ghana.[100] On 31 January, Israel reported its first case of reinfection with the new variant by a man who returned from Turkey.[101]
On 1 February 2021, the United Kingdom Secretary of State for Health and Social Care reported the random detection of 11 cases of the variant where there was no connection to international travel.[102] The same day, the Canadian province of Ontario reported the first case of the variant in the Peel Region, with a similar absence of travel history and no contact with anyone who had recently been abroad.[103] On 8 February, the Republic of Ireland reported the detection of 2 further cases.[104]
On 8 February 2021, Austria detected the greatest outbreak of Beta variant in Europe so far. A total of 293 confirmed cases and 200 suspected cases have been identified through sequencing, most of them will be confirmed in all probability. All of the cases were found in the Tirol region, where nearly 9% of the positive PCR tests were identified as the Beta variant by sequencing.[105] The active cases were estimated at around 140. After a week of public discussion and political pressure about a possible quarantine of Tirol, the government of Austria abstained from isolating the areas of concern, instead making a formal plea to reduce movement in and out of the region and go for testing after visiting Tirol.[106] Tirolean officials stated their intention to relax the lockdown rules in Tirol in keeping with the rest of Austria.[107]
On 22 February, the Israeli Health Ministry stated that the variant had been genetically sequenced in just under 1% of 3,000 community samples.[108] Later on, Israel reported a total of 444 cases of the variant, making it the highest infection rate in the world outside South Africa.[109] On 25 February, the Republic of Ireland reported the detection of 4 further cases.[110] By late February, Turkey had 49 cases of the Beta variant.[111]
On 3 March 2021, the Philippines confirmed its first 6 new cases of the South African variant, with 3 patients from Pasay with no travel history, and 3 with travel histories from Qatar and UAE.[112] On 5 March 2021, Romania reported its first two cases of the South African variant, coming from two patients in Bucharest and Pitești.[113]
On 23 March 2021, Lithuania confirmed its first 2 new cases of the South African strain, 1 in Kaunas county and 1 in Vilnius. There are 10 more suspected cases of it. The infected people said, that they didn't travel anywhere.[114] On 26 March there were 3 more cases confirmed, which means that virus is successfully spreading inside.
On 1 April 2021, Malaysia detected its first cases of South African variant. The health ministry reported two cases believed to originate from the Jalan Lima cluster, involving an employee based at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), with other reported cases sparsely detected within Selangor.[115] As of 1 April, a total of nine cases involving the variant is reported.[116] By 2 May, a total of 48 cases has been detected in least 5 clusters and from contact tracing, of which 20 were found in two clusters in Perak and Kelantan.[117]
On 12 April 2021 Turkey had 285 cases in 11 provinces.[118]