Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

January 25, 2021

Increased Infections, but Not Viral Burden, with a New SARS-CoV-2 Variant

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[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A large community surveillance study in the UK found evidence for increases in S-gene target failures (SGTF) of SARS-CoV-2, consistent with expansion of the B.1.1.7 variant, at a time in mid-November when non-SGTF strains were stable or declining. Data were analyzed from nose and throat swabs (n=1,553,687) collected from September 28, 2020 to January 2,2021 and tested by RT-PCR. Rates of symptomatic SGTF infections were similar to asymptomatic SGTF infections, and the authors suggest that asymptomatic infections may contribute substantially to B.1.1.7 spread. SGTF positivity rates increased on average 6% more rapidly than rates of non-SGTF positives. Excess growth rates for SGTF vs non-SGTF positives were similar in those up to high school age (5%) and older individuals (6%).

Walker et al. (Jan 15, 2021). Increased Infections, but Not Viral Burden, with a New SARS-CoV-2 Variant. Pre-print downloaded Jan 25 from https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.13.21249721