Introduction of ORF3a-Q57H SARS-CoV-2 Variant Causing Fourth Epidemic Wave of COVID-19, Hong Kong, China.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Chu DKW
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8084491 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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| S-EPMC1932977 | biostudies-literature
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Project description:Hong Kong utilized an elimination strategy with intermittent use of public health and social measures and increasingly stringent travel regulations to control SARS-CoV-2 transmission. By analyzing >1700 genome sequences representing 17% of confirmed cases from 23-January-2020 to 26-January-2021, we reveal the effects of fluctuating control measures on the evolution and epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Hong Kong. Despite numerous importations, only three introductions were responsible for 90% of locally-acquired cases, two of which circulated cryptically for weeks while less stringent measures were in place. We found that SARS-CoV-2 within-host diversity was most similar among transmission pairs and epidemiological clusters due to a strong transmission bottleneck through which similar genetic background generates similar within-host diversity. Out of the 170 detected introductions of SARS-CoV-2 in Hong Kong during 2020, three introductions caused 90% of community cases.
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