See main article: article and Variants of SARS-CoV-2. Iota variant,[1] also known as lineage B.1.526, is one of the variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. It was first detected in New York City in November 2020. The variant has appeared with two notable mutations: the E484K spike mutation, which may help the virus evade antibodies, and the S477N mutation, which helps the virus bind more tightly to human cells.[2]
By February 2021, it had spread rapidly in the New York region and accounted for about one in four viral sequences.[3] [4] By 11 April 2021, the variant had been detected in at least 48 U.S. states and 18 countries.[5] [6]
Under the simplified naming scheme proposed by the World Health Organization, B.1.526 has been labeled Iota variant, and is considered a variant of interest (VOI), but not yet a variant of concern.[7]
The Iota (B.1.526) genome contains the following amino-acid mutations, all of which are in the virus's spike protein code: L5F, T95I, D253G, E484K, D614G and A701V.[8]
The increase of the Iota variant was captured by researchers at Caltech by scanning for mutations in a database known as GISAID, a global science initiative that has documented over 700,000 genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2.[9] [10]
The proportion of USA cases represented by the Iota variant had declined sharply by the end of July 2021 as the Delta variant became dominant.[11]
| Country | Confirmed cases | Last Reported Case | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 45,985 | 24 June 2021 | ||
| 168 | 10 June 2021 | ||
| 158 | |||
| 119 | 17 June 2021 | ||
| 115 | 24 May 2021 | ||
| 103 | 10 June 2021 | ||
| 56 | 22 June 2021 | ||
| 50 | 11 June 2021 | ||
| 43 | 16 May 2021 | ||
| 17 | 27 May 2021 | ||
| 13 | 7 May 2021 | ||
| 12 | 17 May 2021 | ||
| 11 | 12 May 2021 | ||
| 9 | 31 May 2021 | ||
| 9 | 26 April 2021 | ||
| 9 | 10 May 2021 | ||
| 8 | 26 April 2021 | ||
| 8 | 18 April 2021 | ||
| 8 | 10 June 2021 | ||
| 8 | 25 May 2021 | ||
| 8 | 28 May 2021 | ||
| 7 | 4 April 2021 | ||
| 6 | 21 May 2021 | ||
| 6 | 4 May 2021 | ||
| 6 | 5 March 2021 | ||
| 5 | 21 May 2021 | ||
| 5 | 19 April 2021 | ||
| 5 | 4 June 2021 | ||
| 4 | 9 February 2021 | ||
| 4 | 7 May 2021 | ||
| 4 | 14 April 2021 | ||
| 4 | 14 May 2021 | ||
| 4 | 4 May 2021 | ||
| 4 | 21 December 2020 | ||
| 3 | 24 March 2021 | ||
| 3 | 15 January 2021 | ||
| 3 | 18 May 2021 | ||
| 2 | 22 April 2021 | ||
| 2 | 20 March 2021 | ||
| 2 | 17 January 2021 | ||
| 2 | 8 January 2021 | ||
| 2 | 2 February 2021 | ||
| 2 | 14 May 2021 | ||
| 2 | 4 March 2021 | ||
| 2 | 17 April 2021 | ||
| 1 | 21 April 2021 | ||
| 1 | 3 May 2021 | ||
| 1 | 25 January 2021 | ||
| 1 | 15 April 2021 | ||
| 1 | |||
| 1 | 30 April 2021 | ||
| 1 | 14 March 2021 | ||
| 1 | 9 March 2021 | ||
| 1 | 16 March 2021 | ||
| 1 | 31 March 2021 | ||
| 1 | 22 March 2021 | ||
| 1 | 8 May 2021 | ||
| World (57 countries) | Total: 46,589 | Total as of 11 August 2021 |