SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity and Severity of COVID-19 According to SARS-CoV-2 Variants: Current Evidence

We conducted this review to summarize the relation between viral mutation and infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 and also the severity of COVID-19 in vivo and in vitro.

Articles were identified through a literature search until 31 May 2021, in PubMed, Web of Science and Google Scholar.

Sixty-three studies were included. To date, most studies showed that the viral mutations, especially the D614G variant, correlate with a higher infectivity than the wild-type virus. However, the evidence of the association between viral mutation and severity of the disease is scant. A SARS-CoV-2 variant with a 382-nucleotide deletion was associated with less severe infection in patients. The 11,083G > U mutation was significantly associated with asymptomatic patients. By contrast, ORF1ab 4715L and S protein 614G variants were significantly more frequent in patients from countries where high fatality rates were also reported. The current evidence showed that variants of concern have led to increased infectivity and deteriorating epidemiological situations. However, the relation between this variant and severity of COVID-19 infection was contradictory.

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide. It is necessary to anticipate large clinical cohorts to evaluate the virulence and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 mutants.