The threat of new Covid variants entering the UK has caused concerns for experts as they migrate from other countries.
So far we have seen some new variants enter the UK from places such as China, South Africa, and India.
The Government has a list of variants of concern that have entered the UK, along with the total confirmed cases and new cases it creates.
The main variants of concern in the UK remain the Delta and Alpha variants, which have caused the most confirmed cases but there are other variants that are also present in the UK.
Here we take a closer look at them, and the other variants of concern in the UK.
Delta
The variant found most commonly in the UK currently is the Delta strain. This was first discovered in 2020 and travelled across from India, with 286,765 confirmed cases.
It is said that Delta is more contagious than any other variant and is the most transmissible. It is about twice as quick as the original variant first found back in 2019.
The World Health Organization (WHO) called this variant “the fastest and fittest.”
Symptoms of the variant are similar to other Covid-19 variants, such as a headache, sore throat, runny nose, fever and persistent cough being the most common.
Other symptoms can include shortness of breath, temporary loss of taste or smell, flulike respiratory, digestive problems, muscles aches and fatigue.
Alpha
The second highest is the Alpha variant, which was first detected in the UK in September 2020.
Named as a variant of concern, the Alpha has spread to more than 50 countries and is seen to be mutating again.
It was the variant that spiked in December forcing the UK to head into yet another lockdown becoming the most dominant variant of the virus.
Symptoms of the Alpha variant can include a headache, sore throat, fever and persistent cough being the most common.
Other studies have found that people with the Alpha variant also suffered from a loss of appetite and muscle aches.
Beta
Coming in third in level of concern, but significantly lower than the Delta and Alpha variant is Beta.
This variant was first detected in South Africa and was found in the UK in December 2020. It has now travelled to over 20 countries across the globe.
The Beta variant mutated around the same time as Alpha but did not spread as Alpha did, it stayed confined to South Africa.
The symptoms are the same as other Covid variants such as a fever, a new continuous cough and loss or change to a sense of smell or taste, but has not yet led to many further serious illnesses like the Delta and Alpha variant.
Eta
First found in the UK in December 2020, this variant has kept cases at a fairly low transmission rate, having not succeeded in a widespread.
With 495 confirmed cases in the UK, this variant seems to be keeping at bay but has been considered by WHO as a variant of interest.
This variant does not carry the same mutation as found in Gamma, Zeta or the Beta variants but carries the same as found in Alpha.
Symptoms of the Eta variant include a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and loss or change to smell or taste.
Kappa
This variant has spread to more than 10 countries and was first found in Brazil, with 492 confirmed cases in the UK.
According to the WHO, Kappa is also considered a variant of interest but is not a new variant and has been around for a while.
According to experts this variant of the virus is not a cause for worry and treatment is effective for this mutation.
Underlying symptoms of this variant can include rashes all over the body, high fever, runny nose and red, watery eyes.
