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Nat Microbiol . Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland

tetano

Editor, Senior Moderator
Nat Microbiol


. 2021 Jan;6(1):112-122.
doi: 10.1038/s41564-020-00838-z. Epub 2020 Dec 21.
Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland


Ana da Silva Filipe[SUP] 1 [/SUP], James G Shepherd[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Thomas Williams[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Joseph Hughes[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elihu Aranday-Cortes[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Patawee Asamaphan[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Shirin Ashraf[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Carlos Balcazar[SUP] 3 [/SUP], Kirstyn Brunker[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alasdair Campbell[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Stephen Carmichael[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Chris Davis[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Rebecca Dewar[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Michael D Gallagher[SUP] 6 [/SUP], Rory Gunson[SUP] 7 8 [/SUP], Verity Hill[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Antonia Ho[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Ben Jackson[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Edward James[SUP] 10 [/SUP], Natasha Jesudason[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Natasha Johnson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], E Carol McWilliam Leitch[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kathy Li[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Alasdair MacLean[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Daniel Mair[SUP] 1 [/SUP], David A McAllister[SUP] 11 12 [/SUP], John T McCrone[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Sarah E McDonald[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Martin P McHugh[SUP] 5 13 [/SUP], A Keith Morris[SUP] 14 [/SUP], Jenna Nichols[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Marc Niebel[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kyriaki Nomikou[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Richard J Orton[SUP] 1 [/SUP], ?ine O'Toole[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Massimo Palmarini[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Benjamin J Parcell[SUP] 15 [/SUP], Yasmin A Parr[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Andrew Rambaut[SUP] 9 [/SUP], Stefan Rooke[SUP] 8 [/SUP], Sharif Shaaban[SUP] 11 [/SUP], Rajiv Shah[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Joshua B Singer[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Katherine Smollett[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Igor Starinskij[SUP] 7 [/SUP], Lily Tong[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Vattipally B Sreenu[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Elizabeth Wastnedge[SUP] 5 [/SUP], COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Matthew T G Holden[SUP] 11 13 [/SUP], David L Robertson[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Kate Templeton[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Emma C Thomson[SUP] 16 17 [/SUP]



Affiliations

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first diagnosed in Scotland on 1 March 2020. During the first month of the outbreak, 2,641 cases of COVID-19 led to 1,832 hospital admissions, 207 intensive care admissions and 126 deaths. We aimed to identify the source and number of introductions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into Scotland using a combined phylogenetic and epidemiological approach. Sequencing of 1,314 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from available patient samples enabled us to estimate that SARS-CoV-2 was introduced to Scotland on at least 283 occasions during February and March 2020. Epidemiological analysis confirmed that early introductions of SARS-CoV-2 originated from mainland Europe (the majority from Italy and Spain). We identified subsequent early outbreaks in the community, within healthcare facilities and at an international conference. Community transmission occurred after 2 March, 3 weeks before control measures were introduced. Earlier travel restrictions or quarantine measures, both locally and internationally, would have reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland. The risk of multiple reintroduction events in future waves of infection remains high in the absence of population immunity.
 
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