tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Emerg Infect Dis
. 2021 Jan;27(1):196-204.
doi: 10.3201/eid2701.201543.
Territorywide Study of Early Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, Hong Kong, China
Kenneth Siu-Sing Leung, Timothy Ting-Leung Ng, Alan Ka-Lun Wu, Miranda Chong-Yee Yau, Hiu-Yin Lao, Ming-Pan Choi, Kingsley King-Gee Tam, Lam-Kwong Lee, Barry Kin-Chung Wong, Alex Yat Man Ho, Kam-Tong Yip, Kwok-Cheung Lung, Raymond Wai-To Liu, Eugene Yuk-Keung Tso, Wai-Shing Leung, Man-Chun Chan, Yuk-Yung Ng, Kit-Man Sin, Kitty Sau-Chun Fung, Sandy Ka-Yee Chau, Wing-Kin To, Tak-Lun Que, David Ho-Keung Shum, Shea Ping Yip, Wing Cheong Yam, Gilman Kit-Hang Siu
Abstract
Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community. We collected demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data from 50 patients, who accounted for 53.8% of total reported case-patients as of February 28, 2020. We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine phylogenetic relationship and transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. By using phylogenetic analysis, we attributed the community outbreak to 2 lineages; 1 harbored a common mutation, Orf3a-G251V, and accounted for 88.0% of the cases in our study. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of local coronavirus disease outbreak was December 24, 2019, with an evolutionary rate of 3.04 ? 10[SUP]-3[/SUP] substitutions/site/year. The reproduction number was 1.84, indicating ongoing community spread.
Keywords: COVID-19; China; Hong Kong; SARS-CoV-2; clinical demographic; community outbreak; molecular evolutionary analysis; molecular phylogeny; novel coronavirus; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; whole genome sequencing.
. 2021 Jan;27(1):196-204.
doi: 10.3201/eid2701.201543.
Territorywide Study of Early Coronavirus Disease Outbreak, Hong Kong, China
Kenneth Siu-Sing Leung, Timothy Ting-Leung Ng, Alan Ka-Lun Wu, Miranda Chong-Yee Yau, Hiu-Yin Lao, Ming-Pan Choi, Kingsley King-Gee Tam, Lam-Kwong Lee, Barry Kin-Chung Wong, Alex Yat Man Ho, Kam-Tong Yip, Kwok-Cheung Lung, Raymond Wai-To Liu, Eugene Yuk-Keung Tso, Wai-Shing Leung, Man-Chun Chan, Yuk-Yung Ng, Kit-Man Sin, Kitty Sau-Chun Fung, Sandy Ka-Yee Chau, Wing-Kin To, Tak-Lun Que, David Ho-Keung Shum, Shea Ping Yip, Wing Cheong Yam, Gilman Kit-Hang Siu
- PMID: 33350913
- DOI: 10.3201/eid2701.201543
Abstract
Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community. We collected demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data from 50 patients, who accounted for 53.8% of total reported case-patients as of February 28, 2020. We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine phylogenetic relationship and transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. By using phylogenetic analysis, we attributed the community outbreak to 2 lineages; 1 harbored a common mutation, Orf3a-G251V, and accounted for 88.0% of the cases in our study. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of local coronavirus disease outbreak was December 24, 2019, with an evolutionary rate of 3.04 ? 10[SUP]-3[/SUP] substitutions/site/year. The reproduction number was 1.84, indicating ongoing community spread.
Keywords: COVID-19; China; Hong Kong; SARS-CoV-2; clinical demographic; community outbreak; molecular evolutionary analysis; molecular phylogeny; novel coronavirus; respiratory infections; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; viruses; whole genome sequencing.