CDC Classifies SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.526.1 a Variant of Interest

COLA Inc. is engaged with the CDC’s Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) in the Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS) to transmit their public health messages to our laboratories and affiliates. Below is a link to the most recent message about a new CDC classified SARS-CoV-2 variant, B.1.526.1, a variant of interest.

CDC Classifies SARS-CoV-2 Variant B.1.526.1 a Variant of Interest

On April 21, 2021, CDC classified SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.526.1 as a variant of interest. This variant was first detected in New York in October 2020. Investigations are underway to further characterize B.1.526.1 sub-lineage viruses and their potential impact on current vaccines and therapeutics.

SARS-CoV-2 variants can be categorized into the following three classes based on a Variant Classification scheme developed by a US government interagency group:

• Variant of Interest
• Variant of Concern
• Variant of High Consequence

A variant of interest might require one or more appropriate public health actions, including

• Enhanced sequence surveillance
• Enhanced laboratory characterization
• Epidemiological investigations to assess how easily the virus spreads to others, the severity of disease, the risk of reinfection, and whether currently authorized vaccines offer protection

Please share this message with your networks and invite them to opt in to LOCS to receive future updates.