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Viana R, Moyo S, Amoako DG, Tegally H, Scheepers C, Althaus CL, Anyaneji UJ, Bester PA, Boni MF, Chand M, Choga WT, Colquhoun R, Davids M, Deforche K, Doolabh D, du Plessis L, Engelbrecht S, Everatt J, Giandhari J, Giovanetti M, Hardie D, Hill V, Hsiao NY, Iranzadeh A, Ismail A, Joseph C, Joseph R, Koopile L, Kosakovsky Pond SL, Kraemer MUG, Kuate-Lere L, Laguda-Akingba O, Lesetedi-Mafoko O, Lessells RJ, Lockman S, Lucaci AG, Maharaj A, Mahlangu B, Maponga T, Mahlakwane K, Makatini Z, Marais G, Maruapula D, Masupu K, Matshaba M, Mayaphi S, Mbhele N, Mbulawa MB, Mendes A, Mlisana K, Mnguni A, Mohale T, Moir M, Moruisi K, Mosepele M, Motsatsi G, Motswaledi MS, Mphoyakgosi T, Msomi N, Mwangi PN, Naidoo Y, Ntuli N, Nyaga M, Olubayo L, Pillay S, Radibe B, Ramphal Y, Ramphal U, San JE, Scott L, Shapiro R, Singh L, Smith-Lawrence P, Stevens W, Strydom A, Subramoney K, Tebeila N, Tshiabuila D, Tsui J, van Wyk S, Weaver S, Wibmer CK, Wilkinson E, Wolter N, Zarebski AE, Zuze B, Goedhals D, Preiser W, Treurnicht F, Venter M, Williamson C, Pybus OG, Bhiman J, Glass A, Martin DP, Rambaut A, Gaseitsiwe S, von Gottberg A, de Oliveira T. Rapid epidemic expansion of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant in southern Africa. Nature 2022; 603:679-686. [PMID: 35042229 PMCID: PMC8942855 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04411-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 918] [Impact Index Per Article: 459.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in southern Africa has been characterized by three distinct waves. The first was associated with a mix of SARS-CoV-2 lineages, while the second and third waves were driven by the Beta (B.1.351) and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants, respectively1-3. In November 2021, genomic surveillance teams in South Africa and Botswana detected a new SARS-CoV-2 variant associated with a rapid resurgence of infections in Gauteng province, South Africa. Within three days of the first genome being uploaded, it was designated a variant of concern (Omicron, B.1.1.529) by the World Health Organization and, within three weeks, had been identified in 87 countries. The Omicron variant is exceptional for carrying over 30 mutations in the spike glycoprotein, which are predicted to influence antibody neutralization and spike function4. Here we describe the genomic profile and early transmission dynamics of Omicron, highlighting the rapid spread in regions with high levels of population immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sikhulile Moyo
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Taskforce, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Daniel G Amoako
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Houriiyah Tegally
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Cathrine Scheepers
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Antibody Immunity Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Christian L Althaus
- Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Ugochukwu J Anyaneji
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Phillip A Bester
- Division of Virology, National Health Laboratory Service, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Maciej F Boni
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics, Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | | | | | - Rachel Colquhoun
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Michaela Davids
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | | | - Deelan Doolabh
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Louis du Plessis
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department of Biosystems Science and Engineering, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Susan Engelbrecht
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Josie Everatt
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Jennifer Giandhari
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Marta Giovanetti
- Laboratorio de Flavivirus, Fundacao Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Laboratório de Genética Celular e Molecular, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
| | - Diana Hardie
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Virology, NHLS Groote Schuur Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Verity Hill
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Nei-Yuan Hsiao
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Virology, NHLS Groote Schuur Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa), Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arash Iranzadeh
- Division of Computational Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Arshad Ismail
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Rageema Joseph
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Legodile Koopile
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Sergei L Kosakovsky Pond
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | | | - Lesego Kuate-Lere
- Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Oluwakemi Laguda-Akingba
- NHLS Port Elizabeth Laboratory, Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
| | - Onalethatha Lesetedi-Mafoko
- Public Health Department, Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Richard J Lessells
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Shahin Lockman
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Alexander G Lucaci
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Arisha Maharaj
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Boitshoko Mahlangu
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tongai Maponga
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Kamela Mahlakwane
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- NHLS Tygerberg Laboratory, Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Zinhle Makatini
- Department of Virology, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Gert Marais
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Virology, NHLS Groote Schuur Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Dorcas Maruapula
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Kereng Masupu
- Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Taskforce, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Mogomotsi Matshaba
- Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Taskforce, Gaborone, Botswana
- Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence, Gaborone, Botswana
- Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Simnikiwe Mayaphi
- Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Nokuzola Mbhele
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Mpaphi B Mbulawa
- National Health Laboratory, Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Adriano Mendes
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Koleka Mlisana
- National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), Durban, South Africa
| | - Anele Mnguni
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Thabo Mohale
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Monika Moir
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Kgomotso Moruisi
- Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Mosepele Mosepele
- Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Taskforce, Gaborone, Botswana
- Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Gerald Motsatsi
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Modisa S Motswaledi
- Botswana Presidential COVID-19 Taskforce, Gaborone, Botswana
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, School of Allied Health Professions, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Thongbotho Mphoyakgosi
- National Health Laboratory, Health Services Management, Ministry of Health and Wellness, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Nokukhanya Msomi
- Discipline of Virology, School of Laboratory Medicine and Medical Sciences and National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Peter N Mwangi
- Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit, Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Yeshnee Naidoo
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Noxolo Ntuli
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Martin Nyaga
- Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- Next Generation Sequencing Unit, Division of Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
| | - Lucier Olubayo
- Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa), Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Computational Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Sureshnee Pillay
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Botshelo Radibe
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Yajna Ramphal
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Upasana Ramphal
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - James E San
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Lesley Scott
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Roger Shapiro
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lavanya Singh
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | | | - Wendy Stevens
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Haematology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Amy Strydom
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Kathleen Subramoney
- Department of Virology, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Naume Tebeila
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Derek Tshiabuila
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Joseph Tsui
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Stephanie van Wyk
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Steven Weaver
- Institute for Genomics and Evolutionary Medicine, Department of Biology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Constantinos K Wibmer
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Eduan Wilkinson
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Nicole Wolter
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Boitumelo Zuze
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
| | - Dominique Goedhals
- Division of Virology, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa
- PathCare Vermaak, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Wolfgang Preiser
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Cape Town, South Africa
- NHLS Tygerberg Laboratory, Tygerberg Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Florette Treurnicht
- Department of Virology, Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Marietje Venter
- Zoonotic Arbo and Respiratory Virus Program, Centre for Viral Zoonoses, Department of Medical Virology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Carolyn Williamson
- Division of Medical Virology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
- Division of Virology, NHLS Groote Schuur Laboratory, Cape Town, South Africa
- Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa), Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - Jinal Bhiman
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- South African Medical Research Council Antibody Immunity Research Unit, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Allison Glass
- Lancet Laboratories, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Molecular Pathology, School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Darren P Martin
- Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (CIDRI-Africa), Cape Town, South Africa
- Institute of Infectious Disease and Molecular Medicine, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Andrew Rambaut
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Simani Gaseitsiwe
- Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership, Botswana Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory, Gaborone, Botswana
- Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Anne von Gottberg
- National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), Johannesburg, South Africa
- School of Pathology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Tulio de Oliveira
- KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R. Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
- Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
- Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
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