RESUMO
Identifying the dissemination patterns and impacts of a virus of economic or health importance during a pandemic is crucial, as it informs the public on policies for containment in order to reduce the spread of the virus. In this study, we integrated genomic and travel data to investigate the emergence and spread of the B.1.1.318 and B.1.525 variants of interest in Nigeria and the wider Africa region. By integrating travel data and phylogeographic reconstructions, we find that these two variants that arose during the second wave emerged from within Africa, with the B.1.525 from Nigeria, and then spread to other parts of the world. Our results show how regional connectivity in downsampled regions like Africa can often influence virus transmissions between neighbouring countries. Our findings demonstrate the power of genomic analysis when combined with mobility and epidemiological data to identify the drivers of transmission in the region, generating actionable information for public health decision makers in the region.
RESUMO
IntroductionThe novel coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that started in December 2019 has affected over 39 million people and killed over 1.1 million people. While more studies are published to help us understand the virus, there is a dearth of studies on the clinical characteristics and associated outcomes of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the African continent. MethodsWe evaluated evidence from previous studies in Africa available in six databases between January 1 and October 6, 2020. Meta-analysis was then performed using Open-Meta Analyst software. ResultsA total of seven studies including 4490 COVID-19 patients were included. The result of the meta-analysis showed 68.8% of infected patients were male. Common symptoms presented (with their incidences) were fever (42.8%), cough (33.3%), headache (11.3%), breathing problems (16.8%). Other minor occurring symptoms included diarrhea (7.5%), and rhinorrhea (9.4%). Fatality rate was 5.6%. ConclusionThis study presents the first description and analysis of the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients in Africa. The most common symptoms are fever, cough and breathing problems.
