Evolutionary and spatiotemporal analyses reveal multiple introductions and cryptic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 VOC/VOI in Malta

Our study provides insights into the evolution of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Malta, a highly connected and understudied country. We combined epidemiological and phylodynamic analyses to analyze trends in the number of new cases, deaths, tests, positivity rates, and evolution...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Microbiology spectrum 2023-12, Vol.11 (6), p.e0153923-e0153923
Main Authors: Trovao, Nidia S, Pan, Vincent, Goel, Chirag, Gallego-García, Pilar, Liu, Yunxi, Barbara, Christopher, Borg, Rebecca, Briffa, Mark, Cilia, Chanelle, Grech, Laura, Vassallo, Mario, Treangen, Todd J, Posada, David, Beheshti, Afshin, Borg, Joseph, Zahra, Graziella
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Epidemiology
next-generation sequencing
phylodynamics
Research Article
SARS-CoV-2
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Summary:Our study provides insights into the evolution of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Malta, a highly connected and understudied country. We combined epidemiological and phylodynamic analyses to analyze trends in the number of new cases, deaths, tests, positivity rates, and evolutionary and dispersal patterns from August 2020 to January 2022. Our reconstructions inferred 173 independent severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 introductions into Malta from various global regions. Our study demonstrates that characterizing epidemiological trends coupled with phylodynamic modeling can inform the implementation of public health interventions to help control COVID-19 transmission in the community.
ISSN:2165-0497
2165-0497
DOI:10.1128/spectrum.01539-23