Tracking SARS-CoV-2 lineage B.1.1.7 dissemination: insights from nationwide spike gene target failure (SGTF) and spike gene late detection (SGTL) data, Portugal, week 49 2020 to week 3 2021
Vítor Borges, Carlos Sousa, Luís Menezes, Antônio M. Gonçalves, Miguel Picão, José Pedro Almeida, Margarida Vieita, Rafael Dantas dos Santos, Ana Rita Silva, M. Costa, Luís Carneiro, Pedro Casaca, Pedro Pinto Leite, André Peralta‐Santos, Joana Isidro, Sílvia Duarte, Luı́s Vieira, Raquel Guiomar, Susana Pereira Silva, Baltazar Nunes, João Paulo Gomes
Abstract
We show that the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 lineage is highly disseminated in Portugal, with the odds of B.1.1.7 proportion increasing at an estimated 89% (95% confidence interval: 83-95%) per week until week 3 2021. RT-PCR spike gene target late detection (SGTL) can constitute a useful surrogate to track B.1.1.7 spread, besides the spike gene target failure (SGTF) proxy. SGTL/SGTF samples were associated with statistically significant higher viral loads, but not with substantial shift in age distribution compared to non-SGTF/SGTL cases.