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SARS-CoV-2 variants-associated outbreaks of COVID-19 in a tertiary institution, North-Central Nigeria: Implications for epidemic control.

Oluwapelumi Olufemi AdeyemiNnaemeka Darlington NdodoMariam Kehinde SulaimanOyeronke Temidayo AyansolaOluwabunmi Idera Nimat BuhariOlusola Anuoluwapo AkanbiOladimeji Akeem BolarinwaChimaobi ChukwuIreoluwa Yinka JoelAdesuyi Ayodeji OmoareKolawole Wasiu WahabCelestina ObiekeaMikhail Olayinka BuhariAnthony AhumibeCaroline Folasade KolawoleCatherine OkoiOlumuyiwa Babagbemi OmoteshoNwando MbaOluwafemi AdeniyiOlajumoke BabatundeNathaniel AkintundeGaniu AyinlaOluwatosin Wuraola AkandeRasheed Adekeye OdunolaMohammed Jimoh SakaOmotosho Ibrahim MusaIdayat Adenike DurotoyeChikwe IhekweazuIfedayo Morayo AdetifaAbayomi Fadeyi
Published in: PloS one (2023)
The COVID-19 global pandemic is being driven by evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants with consequential implications on virus transmissibility, host immunity, and disease severity. Continuous molecular and genomic surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 variants is therefore necessary for public health interventions toward the management of the pandemic. This study is a retrospective analysis of COVID-19 cases reported in a Nigerian tertiary institution from July to December 2021. In total, 705 suspected COVID-19 cases that comprised 547 students and 158 non-students were investigated by real time PCR (RT-PCR); of which 372 (~52.8%) tested positive for COVID-19. Using a set of selection criteria, 74 (~19.9%) COVID-19 positive samples were selected for next generation sequencing. Data showed that there were two outbreaks of COVID-19 within the university community over the study period, during which more females (56.8%) tested positive than males (47.8%) (p<0.05). Clinical data together with phylogenetic analysis suggested community transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through mostly asymptomatic and/or pre-symptomatic individuals. Confirmed COVID-19 cases were mostly mild, however, SARS-CoV-2 delta (77%) and omicron (4.1%) variants were implicated as major drivers of respective waves of infections during the study period. This study highlights the importance of integrated surveillance of communicable disease during outbreaks.
Keyphrases
  • sars cov
  • coronavirus disease
  • respiratory syndrome coronavirus
  • public health
  • copy number
  • mental health
  • gene expression
  • pulmonary embolism
  • dna methylation
  • machine learning
  • big data
  • high resolution
  • tertiary care