Transmission Clusters and Containment Measures in Global Different Regions during COVID-19 Pandemic

Dear Colleagues,

SARS-CoV-2 caused a devastating pandemic with serious consequences for global health and economy. As of mid-June 2022, there have been over 500 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide, including over 6 million fatalities.

Although SARS-CoV-2 has a lower nucleotide substitution rate compared to other RNA viruses, a number of variants changed the face of the pandemic. Some of the emerging variants, namely alpha (B.1.1.7), beta (B.1.351), gamma (P.1), delta (B.1.617.2), and omicron (B.1.1.529), have been designated variants of concern (VOC) due to their altered biological properties, posing an increased risk to global public health. This prompted heightened surveillance and monitoring to inform the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Notably, omicron is the only VOC still in circulation. This includes BA.1, BA.2, BA.3, BA.4, BA.5 and descendent lineages, as well as circulating recombinant forms such as XE.

Genomic surveillance and molecular epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2 can provide added value, monitoring newly emerging variants, and can also improve our understanding of the characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 global transmission. This knowledge could guide public health measures and help to control the pandemic. Thus, we seek contributions that address the impact of COVID-19 molecular surveillance and molecular epidemiology studies on epidemiology and public health. Investigations into virology and genetic characteristics of infection are also welcome, as are relevant epidemiological findings.

Dr. Dimitrios Paraskevis
Dr. Maja Stanojevic
Topic Editors