First Report on the Latvian SARS-CoV-2 Isolate Genetic Diversity

• Published in: Frontiers in medicine Vol. 8; p. 626000
• Main Authors: Zrelovs, Nikita, Ustinova, Monta, Silamikelis, Ivars, Birzniece, Liga, Megnis, Kaspars, Rovite, Vita, Freimane, Lauma, Silamikele, Laila, Ansone, Laura, Pjalkovskis, Janis, Fridmanis, Davids, Vilne, Baiba, Priedite, Marta, Caica, Anastasija, Gavars, Mikus, Perminov, Dmitry, Storozenko, Jelena, Savicka, Oksana, Dimina, Elina, Dumpis, Uga, Klovins, Janis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 06.04.2021
• Subjects: 2019-nCoV; COVID-19; genetic diversity; HCoV-19; Latvia; Medicine; next-generation sequencing; COVID-19; genetic diversity; Latvia; SARS-CoV-2; next-generation sequencing; HCoV-19; 2019-nCoV
• ISSN: 2296-858X; 2296-858X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2021.626000

Remaining a major healthcare concern with nearly 29 million confirmed cases worldwide at the time of writing, novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has caused more than 920 thousand deaths since its outbreak in China, December 2019. First case of a person testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection within the territory of the Republic of Latvia was registered on 2nd of March 2020, 9 days prior to the pandemic declaration by WHO. Since then, more than 277,000 tests were carried out confirming a total of 1,464 cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the country as of 12th of September 2020. Rapidly reacting to the spread of the infection, an ongoing sequencing campaign was started mid-March in collaboration with the local testing laboratories, with an ultimate goal in sequencing as much local viral isolates as possible, resulting in first full-length SARS-CoV-2 isolate genome sequences from the Baltics region being made publicly available in early April. With 133 viral isolates representing ~9.1% of the total COVID-19 cases during the "first coronavirus wave" in the country (early March, 2020-mid-September, 2020) being completely sequenced as of today, here, we provide a first report on the genetic diversity of Latvian SARS-CoV-2 isolates.