Which variants are currently in Ireland and what threat do they pose to reopening?
Get the latest on lockdown - from pubs to holidays to jabs - by signing up to our FREE newsletter Invalid Email Something went wrong, please try again later. Sign up! Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice  The Delta variant has been saturating the news with government and health officials expressing growing concern over its potential to drive the fourth wave here. While this variant is known to be the most transmissible at the moment and could cause havoc across Europe come September, health officials have confirmed the presence of nine different strains of Covid-19 across Ireland. In the latest report published by the HPSC, a detailed breakdown of these variants has been provided and shows the ever-changing nature of Covid-19. Although we are on track for a reopening of indoor services very soon - with a bill in motion that will only allow those who are fully vaccinated enjoy it - other areas of society could be brought to a halt dependent on the development of the virus. So, heres everything we know about each of the existing strains in Ireland and their prevalence since the beginning of the pandemic. Alpha  This variant emerged in England back in September 2020 and was responsible for a winter surge in cases resulting in a widespread lockdowns across the U.K. It has now been reported in at least 173 countries, according to the WHO and its thought that it may pose a more serious threat to women than men. Here in Ireland, the transmission of this variant is now widespread, with 13,701 cases of COVID-19 confirmed to have been infected with it since December 2020. 94% of sequenced COVID-19 cases reported between March and June 2021 were infected with the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variant. Beta  This variant was detected in South Africa on December 18, 2020. The first case of the Beta variant was then identified in Ireland in the week starting December 20. A total of just 72 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed to have been infected with this variant in Ireland to date. Gamma  This strain was first detected by the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID) in Japan, on January 6, 2021 in four people who had arrived in Tokyo after visiting Brazil four days earlier. The first case of the Gamma variant of concern was detected at the end of January this year in Ireland. However, to date, this variant has been confirmed in only 29 cases in Ireland. Delta  The Delta variant remains the most prominent strain of concern across the globe right now, and would likely be the only one to bring reopening to a halt over the coming months. (Image: Gareth Chaney/Collins)  This variant has three sub lineages with different mutations which are ; B.1.617.1 (Kappa), B.1.617.2 (Delta) and B.1.617.3. All three were initially classified as variants of concern, however, on monitoring the evolving situation, the WHO decided Delta was the only one raising continuous concern as the other two were declining steadily. Up to June 8, 220 cases of COVID-19 infected with B.1.617.2 (Delta) were reported here, however, HSE Chief Paul Reid confirmed yesterday that Delta now accounts for 70% of new cases in Ireland. Additionally, cases of six other variants have also been identified in small numbers which are; P.2 (Zeta), B.1.525 (Eta), B.1.526 (Iota), B.1.1.318, B.1.429 (Epsilon), and A.27 - all of them are currently just variants of interest rather than concern. Recent studies also show that once people are fully vaccinated with the available doses they have roughly the same protection against Delta as Alpha, Beta, and Gamma.