Molecular benchmarks of a SARS-CoV-2 epidemic.

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Jonsson, Hakon, Magnusson, Olafur T, Melsted, Pall, Berglund, Jonas, Agustsdottir, Arna B, Eiríksdottir, Berglind, Fridriksdottir, Run, Garðarsdottir, Elisabet Eir, Georgsson, Gudmundur, Gretarsdottir, Olafia S, Guðmundsson, Kjartan R, Gunnarsdottir, Thora Rosa, Eggertsson, Hannes, Gylfason, Arnaldur, Holm, Hilma, Jensson, Brynjar O, Jonasdottir, Aslaug, Jonsson, Frosti, Josefsdottir, Kamilla S, Thordardottir, Marianna, Kristinsson, Karl G, Kristjánsson, Þórður, Magnusdottir, Droplaug N, Roux, Louise le, Saemundsdottir, Jona, Sigurdsson, Asgeir, Sigmundsdottir, Gudrun, Sveinbjornsson, Gardar, Rognvaldsson, Solvi, Eiriksson, Ogmundur, Magnusson, Magnus Karl, Sveinsdottir, Kristin Eva, Sveinsdottir, Maney, Thorarensen, Emil Aron, Thorbjornsson, Bjarni, Löve, Arthur, Norddahl, Gudmundur L, Jonsdottir, Ingileif, Sulem, Patrick, Masson, Gisli, Moller, Alma, Gudnason, Thorolfur, Kristjansson, Mar, Helgason, Agnar, Gudbjartsson, Daniel F, Thorsteinsdottir, Unnur, Stefansson, Kari
• Other Authors: 1deCODE genetics/Amgen, Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland. 2School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. 3Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland. 4Directorate of health, Reykjavik, Iceland. 5Department of Anthropology, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland. 6deCODE genetics/Amgen, Inc., Reykjavik, Iceland. [e-mail]. 7Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland. [e-mail].
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Nature Publishing Group 2021
• Subjects: Faraldsfræði; COVID-19; Epidemiology; Benchmarking; Molecular Epidemiology; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/2336/621919; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23883-6

To access publisher's full text version of this article, please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field or click on the hyperlink at the top of the page marked Download A pressing concern in the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic and other viral outbreaks, is the extent to which the containment measures are halting the viral spread. A straightforward way to assess this is to tally the active cases and the recovered ones throughout the epidemic. Here, we show how epidemic control can be assessed with molecular information during a well characterized epidemic in Iceland. We demonstrate how the viral concentration decreased in those newly diagnosed as the epidemic transitioned from exponential growth phase to containment phase. The viral concentration in the cases identified in population screening decreased faster than in those symptomatic and considered at high risk and that were targeted by the healthcare system. The viral concentration persists in recovering individuals as we found that half of the cases are still positive after two weeks. We demonstrate that accumulation of mutations in SARS-CoV-2 genome can be exploited to track the rate of new viral generations throughout the different phases of the epidemic, where the accumulation of mutations decreases as the transmission rate decreases in the containment phase. Overall, the molecular signatures of SARS-CoV-2 infections contain valuable epidemiological information that can be used to assess the effectiveness of containment measures.