TY - JOUR
T1 - Territorywide study of early coronavirus disease outbreak, Hong Kong, China
AU - Leung, Kenneth Siu Sing
AU - Ng, Timothy Ting Leung
AU - Wu, Alan Ka Lun
AU - Yau, Miranda Chong Yee
AU - Lao, Hiu Yin
AU - Choi, Ming Pan
AU - Tam, Kingsley King Gee
AU - Lee, Lam Kwong
AU - Wong, Barry Kin Chung
AU - Ho, Alex Yat Man
AU - Yip, Kam Tong
AU - Lung, Kwok Cheung
AU - Liu, Raymond Wai To
AU - Tso, Eugene Yuk Keung
AU - Leung, Wai Shing
AU - Chan, Man Chun
AU - Ng, Yuk Yung
AU - Sin, Kit Man
AU - Fung, Kitty Sau Chun
AU - Chau, Sandy Ka Yee
AU - To, Wing Kin
AU - Que, Tak Lun
AU - Shum, David Ho Keung
AU - Yip, Shea Ping
AU - Yam, Wing Cheong
AU - Siu, Gilman Kit Hang
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was supported by the Faculty of Health and Social Science and the Department of Health Technology and Informatics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It was also supported by the Health and Medical Research Fund Commissioned Research on COVID-19 (COVID190204) and the Innovation and Technology Fund Innovation and Technology Support Programme’s Public Sector Trial Scheme (SST/050/20GP).
Funding Information:
We appreciate Oxford Nanopore Technologies Limited, especially Hai Wang and Eva Yu, for their supportive service in the delivery of sequencing flow cells and reagents, and the provision of technical advices. This study was supported by the Faculty of Health and Social Science and the Department of Health Technology and Informatics of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. It was also supported by the Health and Medical Research Fund Commissioned Research on COVID-19 (COVID190204) and the Innovation and Technology Fund Innovation and Technology Support Programme's Public Sector Trial Scheme (SST/050/20GP).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). All rights reserved.
PY - 2021/1
Y1 - 2021/1
N2 - Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community. We collected demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data from 50 patients, who accounted for 53.8% of total reported case-patients as of February 28, 2020. We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine phylogenetic relationship and transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. By using phylogenetic analysis, we attributed the community outbreak to 2 lineages; 1 harbored a common mutation, Orf3a-G251V, and accounted for 88.0% of the cases in our study. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of local coronavirus disease outbreak was December 24, 2019, with an evolutionary rate of 3.04 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year. The reproduction number was 1.84, indicating ongoing community spread.
AB - Initial cases of coronavirus disease in Hong Kong were imported from mainland China. A dramatic increase in case numbers was seen in February 2020. Most case-patients had no recent travel history, suggesting the presence of transmission chains in the local community. We collected demographic, clinical, and epidemiologic data from 50 patients, who accounted for 53.8% of total reported case-patients as of February 28, 2020. We performed whole-genome sequencing to determine phylogenetic relationship and transmission dynamics of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infections. By using phylogenetic analysis, we attributed the community outbreak to 2 lineages; 1 harbored a common mutation, Orf3a-G251V, and accounted for 88.0% of the cases in our study. The estimated time to the most recent common ancestor of local coronavirus disease outbreak was December 24, 2019, with an evolutionary rate of 3.04 × 10−3 substitutions/site/year. The reproduction number was 1.84, indicating ongoing community spread.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098534925&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3201/eid2701.201543
DO - 10.3201/eid2701.201543
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33350913
AN - SCOPUS:85098534925
VL - 27
SP - 196
EP - 204
JO - Emerging Infectious Diseases
JF - Emerging Infectious Diseases
SN - 1080-6040
IS - 1
ER -