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Iota variant,[1] also known aslineage B.1.526, is one of thevariants ofSARS-CoV-2, the virus that causesCOVID-19. It was first detected inNew York City in November 2020. The variant has appeared with two notable mutations: the E484K spike mutation, which may help the virus evade antibodies, and the S477N mutation, which helps the virus bind more tightly to human cells.[2]
By February 2021, it had spread rapidly in the New York region and accounted for about one in four viral sequences.[3][4] By 11 April 2021, the variant had been detected in at least 48 U.S. states and 18 countries.[5][6]
Under the simplified naming scheme proposed by theWorld Health Organization, B.1.526 has been labeledIota variant, and is considered avariant of interest (VOI), but not yet avariant of concern.[7]
The Iota (B.1.526) genome contains the following amino-acid mutations, all of which are in the virus'sspike protein code: L5F, T95I, D253G, E484K, D614G and A701V.[8]
![Amino acid mutations of SARS-CoV-2 Iota variant plotted on a genome map of SARS-CoV-2 with a focus on the spike.[9]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aSARS-CoV-2_Iota_variant.svg)
The increase of the Iota variant was captured by researchers atCaltech by scanning for mutations in a database known asGISAID, a global science initiative that has documented over 700,000 genomic sequences of SARS-CoV-2.[10][11]
The proportion of USA cases represented by the Iota variant had declined sharply by the end of July 2021 as theDelta variant became dominant.[12]
| Country | Confirmed cases | Last Reported Case |
|---|---|---|
 USA | 45,985 | 24 June 2021 |
 Ecuador | 168 | 10 June 2021 |
 Canada | 158 | |
 Spain | 119 | 17 June 2021 |
 Colombia | 115 | 24 May 2021 |
 Aruba | 103 | 10 June 2021 |
 Germany | 56 | 22 June 2021 |
 Mexico | 50 | 11 June 2021 |
 United Kingdom | 43 | 16 May 2021 |
 Sint Maarten | 17 | 27 May 2021 |
 Ireland | 13 | 7 May 2021 |
 Switzerland | 12 | 17 May 2021 |
 Chile | 11 | 12 May 2021 |
 Denmark | 9 | 31 May 2021 |
 Israel | 9 | 26 April 2021 |
 Suriname | 9 | 10 May 2021 |
 Argentina | 8 | 26 April 2021 |
 Belgium | 8 | 18 April 2021 |
 Dominican Republic | 8 | 10 June 2021 |
 France | 8 | 25 May 2021 |
 Lithuania | 8 | 28 May 2021 |
 Singapore | 7 | 4 April 2021 |
 Australia | 6 | 21 May 2021 |
 Italy | 6 | 4 May 2021 |
 Luxembourg | 6 | 5 March 2021 |
 Costa Rica | 5 | 21 May 2021 |
 Netherlands | 5 | 19 April 2021 |
 Russia | 5 | 4 June 2021 |
 Croatia | 4 | 9 February 2021 |
 Japan | 4 | 7 May 2021 |
 South Korea | 4 | 14 April 2021 |
 Sweden | 4 | 14 May 2021 |
 Turkey | 4 | 4 May 2021 |
 Malta | 4 | 21 December 2020 |
 India | 3 | 24 March 2021 |
 Dominica | 3 | 15 January 2021 |
 Slovenia | 3 | 18 May 2021 |
 Austria | 2 | 22 April 2021 |
 Ghana | 2 | 20 March 2021 |
 Grenada | 2 | 17 January 2021 |
 Indonesia | 2 | 8 January 2021 |
 Jamaica | 2 | 2 February 2021 |
 Liberia | 2 | 14 May 2021 |
 Portugal | 2 | 4 March 2021 |
 Romania | 2 | 17 April 2021 |
 Anguilla | 1 | 21 April 2021 |
 Antigua and Barbuda | 1 | 3 May 2021 |
 British Virgin Islands | 1 | 25 January 2021 |
 Cayman Islands | 1 | 15 April 2021 |
 China | 1 | |
 Curacao | 1 | 30 April 2021 |
 Finland | 1 | 14 March 2021 |
| Guadeloupe | 1 | 9 March 2021 |
 New Zealand | 1 | 16 March 2021 |
 Poland | 1 | 31 March 2021 |
 Turks and Caicos Islands | 1 | 22 March 2021 |
 Venezuela | 1 | 8 May 2021 |
| World (57 countries) | Total:46,589 | Total as of 11 August 2021 |
