variants : NPR

Francesco Zorzi

Delta and omicron met up inside 1 person and made the Frankenstein hybrid 'deltacron'

March 23, 2022 • That's how the so-called "deltacron" variant — a mashup of delta and omicron — came to be. This process of recombining tells us a lot about the possible past and future of SARS-CoV-2.

Delta and omicron met up inside 1 person and made the Frankenstein hybrid 'deltacron'

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Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious

A colorized electron microscope image from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases shows a single human immunodeficiency virus budding from a human immune cell. AP hide caption

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AP

Discovery of HIV variant shows virus can evolve to be more severe — and contagious

February 4, 2022 • Findings from a new study help answer questions about why some people get more severe and transmissible HIV than others — and serve as a reminder that viruses don't always weaken over time.

A second version of omicron is spreading. Here's why scientists are on alert

A computer-generated image of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images hide caption

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Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images

A second version of omicron is spreading. Here's why scientists are on alert

January 27, 2022 • It's a sibling of the first omicron variant that swept the world. Is it more contagious? Does it cause severe disease? Will it keep current omicron surges going? Researchers are looking for answers.

A second version of omicron is spreading. Here's why scientists are on alert

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What to know about omicron, the new COVID variant

People line up to get on an Air France flight to Paris at OR Tambo's airport in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Friday as several countries announced travel bans in response to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Jerome Delay/AP hide caption

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Jerome Delay/AP

Coronavirus Updates

What to know about omicron, the new COVID variant

November 26, 2021 • The World Health Organization deemed it a variant of concern, and the U.S. is banning travel from parts of Africa where it's spreading. Here's what scientists know and what they're trying to learn.

Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?

A sign urges people to get tested for a COVID-19 variant in Blackburn, England. The U.K. is experiencing a surge in the delta variant, which was first identified in India. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?

June 25, 2021 • Here's what we know about the effectiveness of vaccines for variants of concerns, notably the delta variant, first identified in India and now responsible for more than 20% of new U.S. cases.

Coronavirus FAQ: I've Been Vaccinated. Do I Need To Worry About Variants?

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Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

The World Health Organization says it will start assigning new names for variants of the coronavirus based on letters from the Greek alphabet — part of an effort to help avoid stigmatization around the virus. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

Coronavirus Updates

Alpha, Beta Instead Of Britain, South Africa. Why The WHO Is Renaming COVID Variants

June 1, 2021 • The new names won't replace the scientific names already assigned to new variants, but the WHO said it's making the change to help avoid fueling stigma toward nations where new variants arise.

Can Vaccines Stop Variants? Here's What We Know So Far

A scientist works on COVID-19 samples to find variations of the virus at the Croix-Rousse Hospital laboratory in Lyon, France, in January. Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images

Goats and Soda

Can Vaccines Stop Variants? Here's What We Know So Far

April 9, 2021 • One of the hottest areas of research right now: studies to determine how well current vaccines work against emerging coronavirus "variants of concern."

Can Vaccines Stop Variants? Here's What We Know So Far

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What's Going On With All These Coronavirus Variants? An Illustrated Guide

Meredith Miotke for NPR

Goats and Soda

What's Going On With All These Coronavirus Variants? An Illustrated Guide

February 2, 2021 • One day you're worrying about the regular old coronavirus. Then — seemingly out of the blue — there are variants. Worrisome variants! How did they come to be? And why are they likely more contagious?