Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021
Appearing in Wuhan (China) and quickly spreading across the globe, the novel coronavirus infection quickly became a significant threat to global health. The year 2021 was characterized by both increases and decreases in COVID-19 incidence, and Russia was no exception. In this work, we describe regio...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/931 |
| _version_ | 1797494654897225728 |
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| author | Anna Gladkikh Vladimir Dedkov Alena Sharova Ekaterina Klyuchnikova Valeriya Sbarzaglia Olga Kanaeva Tatyana Arbuzova Nadezhda Tsyganova Anna Popova Edward Ramsay Areg Totolian |
| author_facet | Anna Gladkikh Vladimir Dedkov Alena Sharova Ekaterina Klyuchnikova Valeriya Sbarzaglia Olga Kanaeva Tatyana Arbuzova Nadezhda Tsyganova Anna Popova Edward Ramsay Areg Totolian |
| author_sort | Anna Gladkikh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Appearing in Wuhan (China) and quickly spreading across the globe, the novel coronavirus infection quickly became a significant threat to global health. The year 2021 was characterized by both increases and decreases in COVID-19 incidence, and Russia was no exception. In this work, we describe regional features in the Northwestern federal district (FD) of Russia of the pandemic in 2021 based on Rospotrebnadzor statistics and data from SARS-CoV-2 genetic monitoring provided by the Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute as a part of epidemiological surveillance. The epidemiological situation in the studied region was complicated by the presence of the megacity Saint Petersburg, featuring a high population density and its status as an international transport hub. COVID-19 incidence in the Northwestern FD fluctuated throughout the year, with two characteristic maxima in January and November. An analysis of fluctuations in the age structure, severity of morbidity, mortality rates, and the level of population vaccination in the region during the year is given. Assessment of epidemiological indicators was carried out in relation to changes in locally circulating genetic variants. It was seen that, during 2021, so-called variants of concern (VOC) circulated in the region (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omicron), with Delta variant strains dominating from June to December. They successively replaced the variants of lines 20A and 20B circulating at the beginning of the year. An epidemiological feature of the northwestern region is the AT.1 variant, which was identified for the first time and later spread throughout the region and beyond its borders. Its share of the regional viral population reached 28.2% in May, and sporadic cases were observed until September. It has been shown that genetic variants of AT.1 lineages distributed in Russia and Northern Europe represent a single phylogenetic group at the base of the 20B branch on the global phylogenetic tree of SARS-CoV-2 strains. The progression of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred against the background of a vaccination campaign. The findings highlight the impact of vaccination on lowering severe COVID-19 case numbers and the mortality rate, despite ongoing changes in circulating SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:37:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-64adf4281a254e4eab1fd86be8ecee9f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T01:37:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-64adf4281a254e4eab1fd86be8ecee9f2023-11-23T13:30:28ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152022-04-0114593110.3390/v14050931Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021Anna Gladkikh0Vladimir Dedkov1Alena Sharova2Ekaterina Klyuchnikova3Valeriya Sbarzaglia4Olga Kanaeva5Tatyana Arbuzova6Nadezhda Tsyganova7Anna Popova8Edward Ramsay9Areg Totolian10Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaFederal Service on Consumer Protection and Human Well-Being Surveillance, 127994 Moscow, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaSaint Petersburg Pasteur Institute, 14 Ulitsa Mira, 197101 Saint Petersburg, RussiaAppearing in Wuhan (China) and quickly spreading across the globe, the novel coronavirus infection quickly became a significant threat to global health. The year 2021 was characterized by both increases and decreases in COVID-19 incidence, and Russia was no exception. In this work, we describe regional features in the Northwestern federal district (FD) of Russia of the pandemic in 2021 based on Rospotrebnadzor statistics and data from SARS-CoV-2 genetic monitoring provided by the Saint Petersburg Pasteur Institute as a part of epidemiological surveillance. The epidemiological situation in the studied region was complicated by the presence of the megacity Saint Petersburg, featuring a high population density and its status as an international transport hub. COVID-19 incidence in the Northwestern FD fluctuated throughout the year, with two characteristic maxima in January and November. An analysis of fluctuations in the age structure, severity of morbidity, mortality rates, and the level of population vaccination in the region during the year is given. Assessment of epidemiological indicators was carried out in relation to changes in locally circulating genetic variants. It was seen that, during 2021, so-called variants of concern (VOC) circulated in the region (Alpha, Beta, Delta, Omicron), with Delta variant strains dominating from June to December. They successively replaced the variants of lines 20A and 20B circulating at the beginning of the year. An epidemiological feature of the northwestern region is the AT.1 variant, which was identified for the first time and later spread throughout the region and beyond its borders. Its share of the regional viral population reached 28.2% in May, and sporadic cases were observed until September. It has been shown that genetic variants of AT.1 lineages distributed in Russia and Northern Europe represent a single phylogenetic group at the base of the 20B branch on the global phylogenetic tree of SARS-CoV-2 strains. The progression of the COVID-19 pandemic occurred against the background of a vaccination campaign. The findings highlight the impact of vaccination on lowering severe COVID-19 case numbers and the mortality rate, despite ongoing changes in circulating SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/931SARS-CoV-2COVID-19variants of concernAT.1 variantRussia |
| spellingShingle | Anna Gladkikh Vladimir Dedkov Alena Sharova Ekaterina Klyuchnikova Valeriya Sbarzaglia Olga Kanaeva Tatyana Arbuzova Nadezhda Tsyganova Anna Popova Edward Ramsay Areg Totolian Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 Viruses SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 variants of concern AT.1 variant Russia |
| title | Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 |
| title_full | Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 |
| title_fullStr | Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 |
| title_short | Epidemiological Features of COVID-19 in Northwest Russia in 2021 |
| title_sort | epidemiological features of covid 19 in northwest russia in 2021 |
| topic | SARS-CoV-2 COVID-19 variants of concern AT.1 variant Russia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/14/5/931 |
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