Terms of Reference for the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE)

Overview

The continued circulation of SARS-CoV-2 and the emergence of variants requires constant vigilance and a global mechanism to track, monitor, and evaluate the evolving situation. In June 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) established an informal Virus Evolution Expert Working Group (VEWG) to specifically assess SARS-CoV-2 evolution, mutations and variants. This independent group of experts will be formalized under the name Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) and continue to meet regularly to discuss and analyze the impact of SARS-CoV-2 variants on transmissibility, clinical presentation, disease severity, diagnostics, and therapeutics and determine whether a given variant constitutes a variant of interest (VOI) or a variant of concern (VOC) according to WHO definitions.

The recommendations of the TAG-VE will be used to inform WHO on global, regional, and national COVID-19 prevention and control strategies and will be utilized by other WHO advisory groups, such as the Expert Advisory Group on COVID-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-CO-VAC), the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), and the Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for Infectious Hazards (STAG-IH).