ABSTRACT
Background: Tracking person-to-person SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the population is important to under-stand the epidemiology of community transmission and may contribute to the containment of SARS-CoV-2. Neither contact tracing nor genomic surveillance alone, however, are typically sufficient to achieve this objective. Aim: We demonstrate the successful appli-cation of the integrated genomic surveillance (IGS) system of the German city of Dusseldorf for tracing SARS-CoV-2 transmission chains in the population as well as detecting and investigating travel-associated SARS-CoV-2 infection clusters. Methods: Genomic sur-veillance, phylogenetic analysis, and structured case interviews were integrated to elucidate two geneti-cally defined clusters of SARS-CoV-2 isolates detected by IGS in Dusseldorf in July 2021. Results: Cluster 1 (n = 67 Dusseldorf cases) and Cluster 2 (n = 36) were detected in a surveillance dataset of 518 high-quality SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Dusseldorf (53% of total cases, sampled mid-June to July 2021). Cluster 1 could be traced back to a complex pattern of transmission in nightlife venues following a putative importation by a SARS-CoV-2-infected return traveller (IP) in late June;28 SARS-CoV-2 cases could be epidemiologically directly linked to IP. Supported by viral genome data from Spain, Cluster 2 was shown to represent multi-ple independent introduction events of a viral strain circulating in Catalonia and other European coun-tries, followed by diffuse community transmission in Dusseldorf.
ABSTRACT
Background: Since appearance of (SARS-CoV-2) in China, December 2019, the pandemic of this human virus is accelerating its spread in Morocco as well as worldwide. The prevention of this disease by strengthening immunity through medicinal plants remains an essential choice of the Moroccan population. Methods: This work consists of a declarative survey by questionnaire divided into two parts: the first concerns the informant and the second concerns the plants used. Results: Among 267 participants from different regions of Morocco, 67.04% of respondents use medicinal plants to boost their immunity, disinfect the air, or treat respiratory tract infections that may be related to coronavirus. While 23% have little confidence in herbal medicine, especially in the face of Covid-19. Conclusions: The results obtained constitute a valuable source of information to prevent and inhibit the severity of the infection caused by SARS-CoV-2 by strengthening the immune system. The majority of the listed plants are rich in secondary metabolites and essential oils. They are known for their positive biological effects on respiratory functions. These plants may constitute a database for further research to conduct clinical trials to determine the most commonly used plants effectiveness. © 2021, Ilia State University, Institute of Botany, Department of Ethnobotany. All rights reserved.