Emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage and its characteristics at an outpatient testing site in Berlin, Germany, January-March 2021

Within five weeks in early 2021, B.1.1.7 became the dominant SARS-CoV-2 lineage at an outpatient testing site in Berlin. Characteristics including Ct-values of 193 and 125 recently ill outpatients with B.1.1.7 and wildtype virus, respectively, were similar, except for more commonly reported sore throat and travel, and less frequently stated loss of smell and taste in the former.