- Published
- 08 January 2021
- Journal article
What are SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the WHO Africa region member states telling us?
- Authors
- Source
- BMJ Global Health
Abstract
To date, 23 countries from the WHO Africa region have deposited a total of 3995 SARS-CoV-2 sequences to publicly available databases, with the majority of the genomes being from South Africa (56%).
Eight-four different lineages have been identified from these countries with 86% genomes belonging to the B.1 sublineage and its descendants.
There have been multiple separate introductions of SARS-CoV-2 infections into Africa, with approximately 43% of these coming from Europe.
95% of African SARS-CoV-2 genomes have the D614G mutation in spike protein thought to be associated with higher infectivity but lower disease severity.
Cite as
Lu, L., Lycett, S., Ashworth, J., Mutapi, F. & Woolhouse, M. 2021, 'What are SARS-CoV-2 genomes from the WHO Africa region member states telling us?', BMJ Global Health, 6(1), article no: e004408. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004408