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. 2021 Jan;6(1):112-122.
doi: 10.1038/s41564-020-00838-z. Epub 2020 Dec 21.

Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland

Ana da Silva Filipe #  1 , James G Shepherd #  1 , Thomas Williams #  2 , Joseph Hughes #  1 , Elihu Aranday-Cortes  1 , Patawee Asamaphan  1 , Shirin Ashraf  1 , Carlos Balcazar  3 , Kirstyn Brunker  1 , Alasdair Campbell  4 , Stephen Carmichael  1 , Chris Davis  1 , Rebecca Dewar  5 , Michael D Gallagher  6 , Rory Gunson  7   8 , Verity Hill  9 , Antonia Ho  1 , Ben Jackson  9 , Edward James  10 , Natasha Jesudason  1 , Natasha Johnson  1 , E Carol McWilliam Leitch  1 , Kathy Li  1 , Alasdair MacLean  7 , Daniel Mair  1 , David A McAllister  11   12 , John T McCrone  9 , Sarah E McDonald  1 , Martin P McHugh  5   13 , A Keith Morris  14 , Jenna Nichols  1 , Marc Niebel  1 , Kyriaki Nomikou  1 , Richard J Orton  1 , Áine O'Toole  9 , Massimo Palmarini  1 , Benjamin J Parcell  15 , Yasmin A Parr  1 , Andrew Rambaut  9 , Stefan Rooke  8 , Sharif Shaaban  11 , Rajiv Shah  1 , Joshua B Singer  1 , Katherine Smollett  1 , Igor Starinskij  7 , Lily Tong  1 , Vattipally B Sreenu  1 , Elizabeth Wastnedge  5 ; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Matthew T G Holden  11   13 , David L Robertson  1 , Kate Templeton  5 , Emma C Thomson  16   17
Affiliations
Free article

Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland

Ana da Silva Filipe et al. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Jan.
Free article

Erratum in

  • Publisher Correction: Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland.
    da Silva Filipe A, Shepherd JG, Williams T, Hughes J, Aranday-Cortes E, Asamaphan P, Ashraf S, Balcazar C, Brunker K, Campbell A, Carmichael S, Davis C, Dewar R, Gallagher MD, Gunson R, Hill V, Ho A, Jackson B, James E, Jesudason N, Johnson N, McWilliam Leitch EC, Li K, MacLean A, Mair D, McAllister DA, McCrone JT, McDonald SE, McHugh MP, Morris AK, Nichols J, Niebel M, Nomikou K, Orton RJ, O'Toole Á, Palmarini M, Parcell BJ, Parr YA, Rambaut A, Rooke S, Shaaban S, Shah R, Singer JB, Smollett K, Starinskij I, Tong L, Sreenu VB, Wastnedge E; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Holden MTG, Robertson DL, Templeton K, Thomson EC. da Silva Filipe A, et al. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Feb;6(2):271. doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-00865-4. Nat Microbiol. 2021. PMID: 33462438 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
  • Author Correction: Genomic epidemiology reveals multiple introductions of SARS-CoV-2 from mainland Europe into Scotland.
    da Silva Filipe A, Shepherd JG, Williams T, Hughes J, Aranday-Cortes E, Asamaphan P, Ashraf S, Balcazar C, Brunker K, Campbell A, Carmichael S, Davis C, Dewar R, Gallagher MD, Gunson R, Hill V, Ho A, Jackson B, James E, Jesudason N, Johnson N, McWilliam Leitch EC, Li K, MacLean A, Mair D, McAllister DA, McCrone JT, McDonald SE, McHugh MP, Morris AK, Nichols J, Niebel M, Nomikou K, Orton RJ, O'Toole Á, Palmarini M, Parcell BJ, Parr YA, Rambaut A, Rooke S, Shaaban S, Shah R, Singer JB, Smollett K, Starinskij I, Tong L, Sreenu VB, Wastnedge E; COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium; Holden MTG, Robertson DL, Templeton K, Thomson EC. da Silva Filipe A, et al. Nat Microbiol. 2021 Mar;6(3):414. doi: 10.1038/s41564-021-00869-0. Nat Microbiol. 2021. PMID: 33504980 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first diagnosed in Scotland on 1 March 2020. During the first month of the outbreak, 2,641 cases of COVID-19 led to 1,832 hospital admissions, 207 intensive care admissions and 126 deaths. We aimed to identify the source and number of introductions of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) into Scotland using a combined phylogenetic and epidemiological approach. Sequencing of 1,314 SARS-CoV-2 viral genomes from available patient samples enabled us to estimate that SARS-CoV-2 was introduced to Scotland on at least 283 occasions during February and March 2020. Epidemiological analysis confirmed that early introductions of SARS-CoV-2 originated from mainland Europe (the majority from Italy and Spain). We identified subsequent early outbreaks in the community, within healthcare facilities and at an international conference. Community transmission occurred after 2 March, 3 weeks before control measures were introduced. Earlier travel restrictions or quarantine measures, both locally and internationally, would have reduced the number of COVID-19 cases in Scotland. The risk of multiple reintroduction events in future waves of infection remains high in the absence of population immunity.

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