Detection of SARS-CoV-2 lineage P.1 in patients from a region with exponentially increasing hospitalisation rate, February 2021, Rio Grande do Sul, Southern Brazil
Andreza Francisco Martins, Alexandre Prehn Zavascki, Priscila Lamb Wink, Fabiana Caroline Zempulski Volpato, Francielle Liz Monteiro, Clévia Rosset, Fernanda de Paris, Álvaro Ramos, Afonso Luís Barth
Abstract
The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 lineage coincided with a surge in hospitalisations in the North region of Brazil. In the South region's Rio Grande do Sul state, severe COVID-19 case numbers rose 3.8 fold in February 2021. During that month, at a COVID-19 referral hospital in this state, whole-genome sequencing of a subset of cases' specimens (n = 27) revealed P.1 lineage SARS-CoV-2 in most (n = 24). Findings raise concerns regarding a possible association between lineage P.1 and rapid case and hospitalisation increases.
Topics & Concepts
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)2019-20 coronavirus outbreakLineage (genetic)Exponential growthVirologyGeographyDemographyMedicineBiologyGeneticsPhysicsPathologyOutbreakSociologyQuantum mechanicsGeneInfectious disease (medical specialty)DiseaseSARS-CoV-2 detection and testingSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchCOVID-19 Clinical Research Studies