Since its emergence in 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has been a ‘moving target’, with various virus variants emerging across the world. VERDI’s ambition is to enhance the understanding of the epidemiology, outcomes, prevention and treatment of variants of SARS-CoV-2 amongst children and pregnant women as a global response to the pandemic. To date several have been designated ‘variants of concern’ (VoC) due to their potential effects on transmissibility, clinical severity and countermeasures (diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines). New SARS-CoV-2 variants will almost certainly continue to emerge, even as effective vaccines increase population immunity.