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A main event and multiple introductions of SARS‐CoV‐2 initiated the COVID‐19 epidemic in Greece
Author(s) -
Spanakis Nikolaos,
Kassela Katerina,
Dovrolis Nikolas,
Bampali Maria,
Gatzidou Elisavet,
Kafasi Athanasia,
Froukala Elisavet,
Stavropoulou Anastasia,
Lilakos Konstantinos,
Veletza Stavroula,
Tsiodras Sotirios,
Tsakris Athanasios,
Karakasiliotis Ioannis
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of medical virology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 121
eISSN - 1096-9071
pISSN - 0146-6615
DOI - 10.1002/jmv.26778
Subject(s) - outbreak , pandemic , virology , coronavirus , biology , virus , genome , covid-19 , genetics , disease , gene , medicine , infectious disease (medical specialty) , pathology
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) is a novel coronavirus responsible for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic. Chains of infections starting from various countries worldwide seeded the outbreak of COVID‐19 in Athens, capital city of Greece. A full‐genome analysis of isolates from Athens' hospitals and other healthcare providers revealed the variety of SARS‐CoV‐2 that initiated the pandemic before lockdown and passenger flight restrictions. A dominant variant, encompassing the G614D amino acid substitution, spread through a major virus dispersal event, and sporadic introductions of rare variants characterized the local initiation of the epidemic. Mutations within the genome highlighted the genetic drift of the virus as rare variants emerged. An important variant contained a premature stop codon in orf7a leading to the truncation of a possibly important for viral pathogenesis domain. This study may serve as a reference for resolving future lines of infection in the area, especially after resumption of passenger flight connections to Athens and Greece during summer of 2020.