Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has spurred global interest. Since the first recognition of SARS-CoV-2, thousands of genomic mutations have been developed and more are still to come for the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to rapidly evolve and adapt is due to its high mutability, which allows new lineages and variants to emerge. These mutations result in changes to the virus properties, such as severity and transmissibility, making it even more difficult to contain. Hence, the increased release of data that are sequencing-related; more mutations as well as genetic SARS-CoV-2 diversity were declared to understand the viral variants, therefore, is useful in countries with little or no facilities for surveillance. In this review, our research team summarized several literatures including: Clinical reports, cohort studies, reviews, case series, and editorials to present a descriptive impression of the variation in the basic molecular structure of SARS-CoV-2. Thus, providing an overview of the nomenclature of all circulating variants, characteristics of mutant variants and possible consequences of mutation of variants of interest in Nigeria.

Key words: Coronaviruses, COVID-19 pandemic, genetic diversity, mutation.