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SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant
Variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Beta variant,[1][2] (B.1.351),[lower-alpha 1] 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]
Beta | |
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General details | |
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WHO Designation | Beta |
Lineage | B.1.351 |
First detected | Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa |
Date reported | July 2020; 4 years ago (2020-07) or August 2020; 3 years ago (2020-08) |
Status | Variant of concern |
Cases map | |
![]() Legend: 1,000+ confirmed sequences
250–999 confirmed sequences
100–249 confirmed sequences
10–99 confirmed sequences
2–9 confirmed sequences
1 confirmed sequence
None or no data available
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Major variants | |
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]