Dynamics of early establishment of SARS-CoV-2 VOC Omicron lineages in Minas Gerais, Brazil
Author(s)
de Menezes, Mariane Talon
Moreira, Filipe Romero Rebello
Whittaker, Charles
Santos, Franciele Martins
Queiroz, Daniel Costa
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Brazil is one of the nations most affected by Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The introduction and establishment of new virus variants can be related to an increase in cases and fatalities. The emergence of Omicron, the most modified SARS-CoV-2 variant, caused alarm for the public health of Brazil. In this study, we examined the effects of the Omicron introduction in Minas Gerais (MG), the second-most populous state of Brazil. A total of 430 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) samples from November 2021 to June 2022 from Belo Horizonte (BH) city were sequenced. These newly sequenced genomes comprise 72% of all previously available SARS-CoV-2 genomes for the city. Evolutionary analysis of novel viral genomes reveals that a great diversity of Omicron sublineages have circulated in BH, a pattern in-keeping with observations across Brazil more generally. Bayesian phylogeographic reconstructions indicate that this diversity is a product of a large number of international and national importations. As observed previously, São Paulo state is shown as a significant hub for viral spread throughout the country, contributing to around 70% of all viral Omicron introductions detected in MG.
Date Issued
2023-02-20
Date Acceptance
2023-01-24
Citation
Viruses, 2023, 15 (2), pp.1-13
ISSN
1999-4915
Publisher
MDPI AG
Start Page
1
End Page
13
Journal / Book Title
Viruses
Volume
15
Issue
2
Copyright Statement
© 2023 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36851799
PII: v15020585
Subjects
Bayes Theorem
Brazil
COVID-19
Humans
SARS-CoV-2
genomic surveillance
Omicron
SARS-CoV-2
variants of concern
viral evolution
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Switzerland
Article Number
585
Date Publish Online
2023-02-20