Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

February 17, 2021

Detection of B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 Variant Strain — Zambia, December 2020

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The SARS-CoV-2 variant strain B.1.351 (first described in South Africa) was detected in Zambia in specimens collected from December 16–23, 2020. Among 23 specimens collected during this time, 22 (96%) were the B.1.351 variant, and among those 21 (95%) contained all nine B.1.351 lineage-defining mutations. Specimens with the B.1.351 variant were obtained from people across four provinces. Five (23%) specimens were obtained from people in two different clusters, with no known epidemiologic links among other cases. After detecting this variant, the average number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases in Zambia increased 16-fold, from 44 cases during December 1–10 2020 increasing to 700 cases during January 1–10, 2021.

Mwenda et al. (Feb 17, 2021). Detection of B.1.351 SARS-CoV-2 Variant Strain — Zambia, December 2020. MMWR. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7008e2