Frontiers in Medicine (Apr 2021)

First Report on the Latvian SARS-CoV-2 Isolate Genetic Diversity

  • Nikita Zrelovs,
  • Monta Ustinova,
  • Ivars Silamikelis,
  • Liga Birzniece,
  • Kaspars Megnis,
  • Vita Rovite,
  • Lauma Freimane,
  • Laila Silamikele,
  • Laura Ansone,
  • Janis Pjalkovskis,
  • Davids Fridmanis,
  • Baiba Vilne,
  • Marta Priedite,
  • Anastasija Caica,
  • Mikus Gavars,
  • Dmitry Perminov,
  • Dmitry Perminov,
  • Jelena Storozenko,
  • Jelena Storozenko,
  • Oksana Savicka,
  • Oksana Savicka,
  • Elina Dimina,
  • Uga Dumpis,
  • Uga Dumpis,
  • Janis Klovins

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2021.626000
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8

Abstract

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Remaining a major healthcare concern with nearly 29 million confirmed cases worldwide at the time of writing, novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 920 thousand deaths since its outbreak in China, December 2019. First case of a person testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection within the territory of the Republic of Latvia was registered on 2nd of March 2020, 9 days prior to the pandemic declaration by WHO. Since then, more than 277,000 tests were carried out confirming a total of 1,464 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country as of 12th of September 2020. Rapidly reacting to the spread of the infection, an ongoing sequencing campaign was started mid-March in collaboration with the local testing laboratories, with an ultimate goal in sequencing as much local viral isolates as possible, resulting in first full-length SARS-CoV-2 isolate genome sequences from the Baltics region being made publicly available in early April. With 133 viral isolates representing ~9.1% of the total COVID-19 cases during the “first coronavirus wave” in the country (early March, 2020—mid-September, 2020) being completely sequenced as of today, here, we provide a first report on the genetic diversity of Latvian SARS-CoV-2 isolates.

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