Variants of concern

People receive a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at a mass vaccination clinic at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Sunday, June 27, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

Vaccines extremely effective against COVID variants of concern: Canadian study

Whether it’s Pfizer, Moderna or Astra Zeneca, the vaccines used in Canada ‘are doing exactly what they should be doing,’ including against the Delta variant

A woman waits at a bus stop byt a sign warning members of the public about a "Coronavirus variant of concern' in Hounslow, west London on June 1, 2021. - A rise in cases of the Delta Covid-19 variant, first identified in India, could "pose serious disruption" to Britain's reopening plans, Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned last week. (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP) (Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

COVID-19 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a new name: Alpha. Will it stick?

An expert group has recommended using letters of the Greek alphabet like Alpha, Beta and Gamma as ‘easy-to-pronounce and non-stigmatizing labels’ for COVID variants

Specimens to be tested for COVID-19 in B.C. (Darryl Dyck/CP)

What we know about the COVID variant first found in India

How quickly it spreads, how it responds to vaccines and how we can stop it from causing a fourth wave in Canada

People wear masks to protect them from the COVID-19 while standing next to a information about the ongoing pandemic in Kingston, Ontario on Monday, April 5, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Lars Hagberg

The P.1 variant is spreading in Canada. What do we know about it?

So far, evidence suggests it is more infectious, causes more severe infection, and evades immunity in those who have been previously infected