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Identification of and Surveillance for the SARS-CoV-2 Variantss B.1.427 and B.1.429 — Colorado, January–March 2021
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May 5, 2021
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Description:The B.1.427 and B.1.429 Variantss of SARS-CoV-2, the Virus that causes COVID-19, were first described in Southern California on January 20, 2021 (1); on March 16 they were designated Variantss of concern* (2). Data on these Variantss are limited, but initial reports suggest that, compared with other lineages, they might be more infectious (1,2), cause more severe illness (2), and be less susceptible to neutralizing monoclonal antibody products such as bamlanivimab, an investigational treatment for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (1–3). On January 24, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) identified the first Colorado case of COVID-19 attributed to these Variantss. B.1.427 and B.1.429 were considered a single Variants described as CAL.20C or B.1.427/B.1.429 in the 20C clade (1,3); in this report “B.1.427/B.1.429” refers to B.1.427 or B.1.429 lineage, including those reported as B.1.427/B.1.429 without further differentiation.
In Colorado, most routine SARS-CoV-2 whole genome sequencing (WGS) is performed by the CDPHE laboratory, generally on a convenience sample of available specimens. Whereas reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) S-gene target failure, which suggests the presence of the SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7 Variants, is used to prioritize specimens for sequencing (4), no such indicator exists for B.1.427/B.1.429 and other Variantss of concern. To improve convenience sampling to identify and track emerging Variantss, CDPHE established a 30-site statewide sentinel Surveillance system. Sites submit a random sample of up to 30 SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR–positive specimens from inpatients and outpatients to CDPHE for sequencing each week. COVID-19 B.1.427/B.1.429 Variants cases were identified through tiled amplicon WGS.†,§ Assembly of sequencing data into whole genomes was performed using CDPHE’s publicly available Illumina and Nanopore data workflows.¶ Phylogenetic Assignment of Named Global Outbreak Lineages (Pangolin)** (5) and Nextstrain’s Nextclade tools (6) were used to assign lineage designations to each assembled genome. CDPHE conducted enhanced case investigation and contact tracing, including reinterview of previously interviewed persons, upstream contact tracing, increased tTesting of asymptomatic contacts, resource coordination to assist persons with successful isolation or quarantine, and involvement of CDPHE’s Cultural Navigation program, which ensures culturally informed communication with immigrants, refugees, and other groups that are disproportionally affected by COVID-19.
Suggested citation for this article: Martin Webb L, Matzinger S, Grano C, et al. Identification of and Surveillance for the SARS-CoV-2 Variants B.1.427 and B.1.429 — Colorado, January–March 2021. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. ePub: 5 May 2021.
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