How many variants of the coronavirus have been found so far and how dangerous are they?

As countries have begun vaccinating their health workers, newer, and seemingly more transmissible variants of the coronavirus have emerged. The latest among them is the Californian and German variant, adding to the already existing mutations that have emerged in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Brazil.

Of the five variants, the first to emerge was the UK variant, which was discovered by scientists in November. The news of its emergence, however, only broke on December 14, six days after the island-nation began administering its health workers the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.

The UK's B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant has been found in 60 countries around the world, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. It is known to be deadlier not only because of the spike protein mutation, but also a better productivity rate than the original SARS-CoV-2, which means it is more transmissible.

Read | UK coronavirus strain detected in at least 60 countries: WHO

Shortly after, on December 19, South Africa announced the emergence of a similar variant called 501.V2, just as the country had entered the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The mutation, resembling the UK variant, was centred on the virus's spike protein, which made it more contagious. On Christmas, an estimated 80-90% of the new cases cropping up at the time were positive for the South African variant.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock had at the beginning of the year described the South African variant as deadlier than the B.1.1.7 variant and termed it as a 'very significant problem.' The 501.V2 has been found in 10 countries, including the UK, France, and Taiwan.

In the first week of 2021, Japan discovered a new strain in four Brazilian travellers from the Amazonas state. The travellers, largely asymptomatic, faced respiratory problems and were admitted to a hospital where the new variant was discovered.

Word of the Brazilian variant B.1.1.248, spread across the globe on January 14 when the UK took a decision to ban all flights from Portugal and Brazil. Japanese health authorities have stated that it is hard to determine whether the virus is more infectious than the predominant SARS-CoV-2.

Also Read | UK to ban South American, Portugal arrivals over Brazil virus strain

Germany's new coronavirus variant was discovered as recently as Monday when 35 patients at the Bavarian ski town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the southern part of the country tested positive for the mutant virus.

While Chancellor Angela Merkel announced a lockdown extension till February 14, authorities are yet to ascertain whether the new stain is more infectious than the existing SARS-CoV2.

The most recently discovered strain of the coronavirus is CAL.20C, which Californian scientists found in December while searching instead for the UK's B.1.1.7 variant. Researchers say that the mutant virus could possibly be responsible for the spike in cases in the western state.

Also Read | New California virus variant possibly driving Covid-19 cases surge in the state, says study

Like its German counterpart, there is no evidence yet to suggest that this variant might be more lethal than the original coronavirus, but scientists are looking for the virus in other states as well.