Zeta variant, also known as lineage P.2,[a] is a
variant of
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes
COVID-19. It was first detected in the state of
Rio de Janeiro; it harbors the E484K
mutation, but not the N501Y and K417T mutations. It evolved independently in Rio de Janeiro without being directly related to the
Gamma variant from Manaus.[1][2]
Under the simplified naming scheme proposed by the
World Health Organization, P.2 was labeled "Zeta variant", and was considered a variant of interest (VOI), but not a
variant of concern.[3] A second wave was preceded in November 2020 by an increase in the prevalence of the Zeta variant among genetic sequences from São Paulo state, deposited into the
GISAID database.[4] As of July 2021, Zeta is no longer considered a variant of interest by the WHO.[5]
^Ranzani, Otavio (2021). "Effectiveness of the CoronaVac vaccine in the elderly population during a Gamma variant-associated epidemic of COVID-19 in Brazil".
medRxiv10.1101/2021.05.19.21257472v3.