Genomic epidemiology of Delta SARS-CoV-2 during transition from elimination to suppression in Aotearoa New Zealand.

ABSTRACT: New Zealand's COVID-19 elimination strategy heavily relied on the use of genomics to inform contact tracing, linking cases to the border and to clusters during community outbreaks. In August 2021, New Zealand entered its second nationwide lockdown after the detection of a single community case with no immediately apparent epidemiological link to the border. This incursion resulted in the largest outbreak seen in New Zealand caused by the Delta Variant of Concern. Here we generated 3806 high quality SARS-CoV-2 genomes from cases reported in New Zealand between 17 August and 1 December 2021, representing 43% of reported cases. We detected wide geographical spread coupled with undetected community transmission, characterised by the apparent extinction and reappearance of genomically linked cl

SUBMITTER: Jelley L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9274967 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature