SARS-CoV-2 Variants and Genomic Surveillance in Texas

Variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, are expected to continue to emerge, a natural process that occurs as viruses spread. Some variants will disappear, and others will continue to spread and may overtake previous variants. For example, the ancestral strain of the virus that caused the first Texas COVID-19 cases in early 2020 is no longer being detected. It was displaced by the Alpha variant followed by the Delta variant and may continue to be replaced by other emerging variants.

The Texas SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequencing data includes data provided by the CDC’s commercial partner laboratories as a part of the national SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program, sequencing conducted at academic and commercial laboratories, and Texas Department of State Health Services Austin Laboratory’s genomic sequencing. The programs sequence hundreds of COVID-19 cases each week to monitor the spread of variants in Texas. This information helps scientists and public health professionals understand how the virus spreads and changes over time. It also helps researchers know whether existing COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines will continue to work against emerging variants.

This page shows data on variants of concern (VOC), variants of interest (VOI) and variants being monitored (VBM) with all other variants grouped together. More information on variant classification is available on the CDC website.

Variant Proportions Dashboard Limitations:

The data shown here is collected by the CDC’s commercial partner laboratories as a part of the national SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance program, sequencing conducted at academic and commercial laboratories and by and Texas Department of State Health Services Austin Laboratory’s genomic sequencing. This data is not intended to count every variant case present in Texas. It does not necessarily represent geographic trends within the state of Texas. Some areas may be oversampled due to high numbers of participating laboratories.

Local health officials may have more specific information regarding variant cases in their jurisdictions. No sample weighting is applied to this data. Sequencing results included in this data set take an average of 11 days from initial sample collection to report date. DSHS will post results after two weeks so that there will be enough results to represent a reliable estimate. This data visualization is updated weekly on Tuesdays before 5 pm. Data is displayed by week of sample collection. Data should be considered preliminary and subject to change.