TRACKING SARS-COV-2 VARIANTS
All viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, change over time. Most changes have little to no impact on the virus’ properties. However, some changes may affect the virus’s properties, such as how easily it spreads, the associated disease severity, or the performance of vaccines, therapeutic medicines, diagnostic tools, or other public health and social measures.
The Network for Genomics Surveillance in South Africa (NGS-SA), which includes the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), KRISP at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), University of Cape Town (UCT), Stellenbosch University (SUN), the University of the Free State (UFS), the University of Pretoria, the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) and the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), continue to monitor and assess the evolution of SARS-CoV-2.
Please see below the updated NGS-SA report (10 March 2023), with an additional 175 genomes since the last report.
In summary:
Sequencing update
- Eastern Cape, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, the Northern Cape, the North West and the Western Cape have sequences for December 2022. All provinces have sequences for January 2023. All provinces, except the North West, have sequences for February 2023
Variant of Concern Omicron in South Africa
- Omicron continued to dominate in December (100%), January (99%) and makes up 100% of February sequences
- BQ.1 and sub-lineages were the dominant Omicron lineage in December (46%) and January (54%).
- XBB.1.5 was detected in December 2022 (n=2, 1%) and January 2023 (n=157, 14%), and is the dominant lineage in February 2023 (n=359, 75%)
- BA.2.75.* continued to be detected at a low prevalence in December, January and February (≤3%)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (3 March 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (24 Feb 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (17 Feb 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (10 Feb 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (3 Feb 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (27 Jan 2023)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (23 Dec 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (15 Dec 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (9 Dec 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (2 Dec 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (25 Nov 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (18 Nov 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (11 Nov 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (4 Nov 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (28 Oct 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (21 Oct 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (14 Oct 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (7 Oct 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (30 Sep 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (23 Sep 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (16 Sep 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (9 Sep 2022
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (2 Sep 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (26 Aug 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (19 Aug 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (12 Aug 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (5 Aug 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (29 July 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (22 July 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (15 July 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (24 June 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (17 June 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (10 June 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (3 June 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (27 May 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (20 May 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (13 May 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (6 May 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (29 April 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (22 April 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (14 April 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (8 April 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (1 April 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (18 Mar 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (11 Mar 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (4 Mar 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (25 Feb 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (18 Feb 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (11 Feb 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (4 Feb 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (28 Jan 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (21 Jan 2022)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (31 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (24 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (17 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (10 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (8 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (3 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (1 DEc 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (26 Nov 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (19 Nov 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (12 Nov 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (05 Nov 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (29 Oct 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (22 Oct 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (15 Oct 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (08 Oct 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (30 Sept 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (27 Sept 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (17 Sept 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (9 Sept 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (1 Sept 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (27 Aug 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (19 Aug 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (12 Aug 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (5 Aug 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (29 July 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (19 July 2021)
SARS-CoV-2 GENOMIC SURVEILLANCE UPDATE (12 July 2021)