Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

May 18, 2020

Evidence of Increasing Diversification of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Strains

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  • Analyses of complete genome sequences of SARS-CoV-2 strains from around the world reveals increasing diversification of SARS-CoV-2 strains in three different genetic clades. 
  • The time of the most recent common ancestor was established to be around November 1, 2019, with a mean rate of evolution of 6.57 x 10–4 substitutions per site per year. High evolutionary rates and fast population growth characterizes the population dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 strains. 

Castells et al. (May 15, 2020). Evidence of Increasing Diversification of Emerging SARS-CoV-2 Strains. Journal of Medical Virology. https://doi.org/10.1002/jmv.26018