Acta Scientific MICROBIOLOGY (ISSN: 2581-3226) Volume 5 Issue 4 April 2022 Covid-19 Pandemic and its Variants (Delta and Omicron). Classification, Symptoms, Diagnosis and its Possible Health Impacts Especially on children Ajaz Rasool 1 , Jeelani Gousia 2 and Baba Uqab 3 * 1 Department of Zoology, University of Kashmir, India 2 Centre of Research for Development, University of Kashmir, India 3 S P College, Srinagar, India *Corresponding Author: Baba Uqab, S P College, Srinagar, India. Review Article Received: February 18, 2022 Published: March 16, 2022 © All rights are reserved by Baba Uqab., et al. Abstract DOI: 10.31080/ASMI.2022.05.1034 Covid-19 is continuously sprouting its tentacles in the form of new variants. With genetic instability in virus genomics and struc- ture, Variants of Concern have emerged thick and fast from the original virus. Omicron is the latest of the variants which has emerged out to be the new concern to the health, economics and world order. With 34 mutations in spike protein and 15 in its receptor binding domain alone, Omicron is really a variant of concern. High number of non-synonymous mutations in spike protein has been revealed in omicron variant that are involved in transmissibility, disease severity and immune escape. A total of more than 60 mutations have been reported in omicron variant making it variant with the most mutations sites of all SARS-Cov-2 variants characterized so far. COVID-19’s ability to induce long-term consequences was unknown at the start of the epidemic. However, it has been discovered that this is not the case, and people with “long haul COVID-19” might experience a variety of ocular problems. Keywords: Covid-19; Mutations; Omicron; Ocular Problems Introduction Corona virus has emerged as new threat to the world order with its unprecedented emergence and pandemics. Owing to the flexible nature of virus genetic material, variants of corona viruses have emerged in thick and fast with varied transmissibility and virulence. Over the course of more than 270 million confirmed COVID infections worldwide, the virus has undergone remarkable diversification, producing >1,500 uniquely identified Pango lin- eages [1]. In order to prioritize monitoring and research of vari- ants, WHO has classified these variants into three categories: vari- ants of concern (VOCs), variants of interest (VOIs), and variants under monitoring (VUMs). The previous four VOCs include Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), Gamma (P.1), and Delta (B.1.617.2).2 All these variants were of great concern and resulted in a new wave of pandemic and thousands of deaths in more than one country and area, and even across the whole world. On November 26, 2021, a new variant namely Omicron (B.1.1.529) was designated as the fifth VOC by WHO, which immediately raised global concerns. The term “variant of concern” (VOC) for SARS-CoV-2 refers to the vari- ants which have mutations in their receptor binding domain of Spike protein which in turn dramatically improve binding affinity in the RBD-hACE2 complex and thus causing fast dissemination in human populations [2]. Majority of the mutations in sequences are projected to be detrimental and swiftly removed or as neutral while some are predicted to influence functional characteristics and therefore possibly modifying infection rate, interaction with host immune system or disease severity [3]. On the other hand, development of SARS-CoV-2 has been marked by introduction of variants of concern, modifications in viral properties like disease transmission and antigenicity because of the change in human im- munological composition [4]. Citation: Baba Uqab., et al. “Covid-19 Pandemic and its Variants (Delta and Omicron). Classification, Symptoms, Diagnosis and its Possible Health Impacts Especially on children". Acta Scientific Microbiology 5.4 (2022): 48-52.