Unrecognized introduction of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern to Central Africa: Import and local transmission of B.1.1.7 in Gabon in the very early stage of the variant spread to the African continent.
J Med Virol
; 93(10): 6054-6058, 2021 10.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-1453608
ABSTRACT
The rapid spread of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant of concern with higher infectivity has already resulted in the enormous increase in infection cases worldwide. We report an unrecognized introduction of the variant B.1.1.7 in Gabon in December 2020, which was the initial phase of the variant introduction to Africa. The B.1.1.7 variant was also detected in a hospitalized patient in January 2021, indicating a rapid spread of the variant in Gabon since its first detection. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the detected B.1.1.7 variants originated from the distinct regions, strongly suggesting that the B.1.1.7 variant had been repeatedly introduced to Gabon since December 2020. These results provide insights on the unrecognized risks of infections with variants of concern, and show the necessity to conduct continuous genomic monitoring for immediate alert and control of novel SARS-CoV-2 variant infections.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
SARS-CoV-2
/
COVID-19
Type of study:
Observational study
/
Prognostic study
/
Randomized controlled trials
Topics:
Variants
Limits:
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
Africa
Language:
English
Journal:
J Med Virol
Year:
2021
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Jmv.27164
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