Rapid Increase in SARS-CoV-2 P.1 Lineage Leading to Codominance with B.1.1.7 Lineage, British Columbia, Canada, January–April 2021

oleh: Catherine A. Hogan, Agatha N. Jassem, Hind Sbihi, Yayuk Joffres, John R. Tyson, Kyle Noftall, Marsha Taylor, Tracy Lee, Chris Fjell, Amanda Wilmer, John Galbraith, Marc G. Romney, Bonnie Henry, Mel Krajden, Eleni Galanis, Natalie Prystajecky, Linda M.N. Hoang

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2021-11-01

Deskripsi

Several severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants of concern (VOCs) emerged in late 2020; lineage B.1.1.7 initially dominated globally. However, lineages B.1.351 and P.1 represent potentially greater risk for transmission and immune escape. In British Columbia, Canada, B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 were first identified in December 2020 and P.1 in February 2021. We combined quantitative PCR and whole-genome sequencing to assess relative contribution of VOCs in nearly 67,000 infections during the first 16 weeks of 2021 in British Columbia. B.1.1.7 accounted for <10% of screened or sequenced specimens early on, increasing to >50% by week 8. P.1 accounted for <10% until week 10, increased rapidly to peak at week 12, and by week 13 codominated within 10% of rates of B.1.1.7. B.1.351 was a minority throughout. This rapid expansion of P.1 but suppression of B.1.351 expands our understanding of population-level VOC patterns and might provide clues to fitness determinants for emerging VOCs.