variant of interest; VOI
Medical term used in the context of SARS-CoV-2 to denote a variant with genetic changes that may affect virus characteristics and is being monitored.
The WHO is monitoring new variants of interest.
この注目すべき変異株は感染力が高い可能性がある。
This variant of interest may be more transmissible.
A variant of concern (VOC) is a more serious category than a variant of interest (VOI), indicating evidence of increased transmissibility, severity, or reduced effectiveness of public health measures.
A compound of 注目すべき (noteworthy, from 注目 'attention' + すべき 'should do') and 変異株 (variant strain, from 変異 'mutation' + 株 'strain'). The term is a direct translation of the English 'variant of interest' used in epidemiology.