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Spatial Growth Rate of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Lineages in England, September 2020–December 2021

The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Smallman-Raynor, M.R.; Cliff, A. D.

Spatial Growth Rate of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Lineages in England, September 2020–December 2021 Thumbnail


Authors

The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium

A. D. Cliff



Abstract

This paper uses a robust method of spatial epidemiological analysis to assess the spatial growth rate of multiple lineages of SARS-CoV-2 in the local authority areas of England, September 2020-December 2021. Using the genomic surveillance records of the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, the analysis identifies a substantial (7.6-fold) difference in the average rate of spatial growth of 37 sample lineages, from the slowest (Delta AY.4.3) to the fastest (Omicron BA.1). Spatial growth of the Omicron (B.1.1.529 and BA) variant was found to be 2.81× faster than the Delta (B.1.617.2 and AY) variant and 3.76× faster than the Alpha (B.1.1.7 and Q) variant. In addition to AY.4.2 (a designated variant under investigation, VUI-21OCT-01), three Delta sublineages (AY.43, AY.98 and AY.120) were found to display a statistically faster rate of spatial growth than the parent lineage and would seem to merit further investigation. We suggest that the monitoring of spatial growth rates is a potentially valuable adjunct to routine assessments of the growth of emerging SARS-CoV-2 lineages in a defined population.

Citation

The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium, Smallman-Raynor, M., & Cliff, A. D. Spatial Growth Rate of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Lineages in England, September 2020–December 2021

Working Paper Type Working Paper
Deposit Date Feb 3, 2022
Publicly Available Date Feb 23, 2022
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Keywords COVD-19; England; Geography; SARS-CoV-2; Spatial Analysis
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/7375140
Publisher URL https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.02.22270110v1
Additional Information The authors on behalf of The COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium.

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