Early detection of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant in Southern Brazil and reinfection of the same patient by P.2.

Multiple variants of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 virus (SARS-CoV-2) have been constantly reported across the world. The B.1.1.28 lineage has been evolving in Brazil since February 2020 and originated the P.1 variant of concern (VOC), recently named as the Gamma variant by the newly WHO nomenclature proposal, and P.2 as a variant of interest (VOI). Here we describe an early case of P.1 primary infection in Southern Brazil in late November 2020, soon after the emergence of the variant in Manaus, Northern Brazil. The same male patient was reinfected by another B.1.1.28 variant, namely P.2, in March, 2021. The genomic analysis confirmed genetically significant differences between the two viruses recovered in both infections, the P.1 lineage in the first episode and P.2 in the reinfection. Due the very early detection of P.1, we have also investigated the circulation of P.1 in the same region by differential RT-qPCR, showing that this was an isolated case of P.1 at the time of detection, and this variant has disseminated and became prominent from late January to the end of March, 2021. SARS-CoV-2 recent reports of reinfection have raised critical questions on whether and how well a first infection protects against reinfection.

SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19: A perspective from environmental virology.

December 2019 marked the beginning of the current Coronavirus disease pandemic (COVID-19). Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the causative agent of a viral pneumonia outbreak in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. The alarming spread levels and clinical severity elevated the status of COVID-19 to the global pandemic by the World Health Organization. In 6 months, more than 25 million cases of infected people and more than 890,000 deaths by COVID-19 had been reported worldwide. The main goal of this review is to shed light upon the current COVID-19 epidemic situation in Brazil with a health approach highlighting some unique environmental, animal and epidemiological aspects.