Abstract
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Colombia was first diagnosed in a traveler arriving from Italy on February 26, 2020. However, limited data are available on the origins and number of introductions of COVID-19 into the country. We sequenced the causative agent of COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), from 43 clinical samples we collected, along with another 79 genome sequences available from Colombia. We investigated the emergence and importation routes for SARS-CoV-2 into Colombia by using epidemiologic, historical air travel, and phylogenetic observations. Our study provides evidence of multiple introductions, mostly from Europe, and documents >12 lineages. Phylogenetic findings validate the lineage diversity, support multiple importation events, and demonstrate the evolutionary relationship of epidemiologically linked transmission chains. Our results reconstruct the early evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia and highlight the advantages of genome sequencing to complement COVID-19 outbreak investigations.
Highlights
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Colombia was first diagnosed in a traveler arriving from Italy on February 26, 2020
Genomic epidemiology relies on phylogenetic analysis and has enabled researchers across the world to detect SARSCoV-2 emergence in humans, reveal the importation and local transmission chains not detected by travel history and traditional contact-tracing strategies, and trace the geographic spread and prevalence of strains bearing specific mutations of epidemiologic relevance
Epidemiologic Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 Introductions, Contact-Tracing, and Community Transmission In Colombia, preventive isolation and monitoring for passengers arriving from China, Italy, France, and Spain started on March 10, 2020
Summary
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Colombia was first diagnosed in a traveler arriving from Italy on February 26, 2020. Our results reconstruct the early evolutionary history of SARS-CoV-2 in Colombia and highlight the advantages of genome sequencing to complement COVID-19 outbreak investigations. The unprecedented global health and societal emergency posed by the COVID-19 pandemic urged data sharing and faster-than-ever outbreak research developments that are reflected in the >37,000 complete SARS-CoV-2 genomes made available through. Genomic Epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2, Colombia public databases, mainly GISAID Genomic epidemiology relies on phylogenetic analysis and has enabled researchers across the world to detect SARSCoV-2 emergence in humans, reveal the importation and local transmission chains not detected by travel history and traditional contact-tracing strategies, and trace the geographic spread and prevalence of strains bearing specific mutations of epidemiologic relevance
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