Recombinant BA.1/BA.2 SARS-CoV-2 Virus in Arriving Travelers, Hong Kong, February 2022

• Published in: Emerging infectious diseases Vol. 28; no. 6; pp. 1276 - 1278
• Main Authors: Gu, Haogao, Ng, Daisy Y.M., Liu, Gigi Y.Z., Cheng, Samuel S.M., Krishnan, Pavithra, Chang, Lydia D.J., Cheuk, Sammi S.Y., Hui, Mani M.Y., Lam, Tommy T.Y., Peiris, Malik, Poon, Leo L.M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States U.S. National Center for Infectious Diseases 01.06.2022; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Subjects: 2022 AD; Causes of; Cloning; coronavirus disease; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - epidemiology; COVID-19 vaccines; Disease transmission; Epidemics; Epidemiology; Expedited; Genetic recombination; Genomes; Health aspects; Hong Kong - epidemiology; Hong Kong, China; Humans; Laboratories; Medical research; Orthopoxvirus; Patients; Research Letter; respiratory infections; SARS; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV-2 - genetics; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Statistics; Travelers; Virus research; Viruses; Hong Kong; Hong Kong, China; Hong Kong China; Netherlands; United Kingdom > UK; United States > US; China; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; viruses; Hong Kong; severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; SARS; coronavirus; zoonoses; coronavirus disease; respiratory infections
• ISSN: 1080-6040; 1080-6059; 1080-6059
• DOI: 10.3201/eid2806.220523

We studied SARS-CoV-2 genomes from travelers arriving in Hong Kong during November 2021-February 2022. In addition to Omicron and Delta variants, we detected a BA.1/BA.2 recombinant with a breakpoint near the 5' end of the spike gene in 2 epidemiologically linked case-patients. Continued surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 recombinants is needed.