Genomic surveillance activities unveil the introduction of the SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.525 variant of interest in Brazil: Case report

Pereira, Felicidade; Tosta, Stephane; Lima, Maricélia M.; Reboredo de Oliveira da Silva, Luciana; Nardy, Vanessa B.; Gómez, Marcela K. A.; Lima, Jaqueline G.; Fonseca, Vagner; de Oliveira, Tulio; Lourenço, Jose; Alcantara, Luiz C.; Giovanetti, Marta; Leal, Arabela

The appearance of new variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 has recently challenged public health authorities with respect to tracking transmission and mitigating the impact in the evolving pandemic across countries. B.1.525 is considered a variant under investigation since it carries specific genetic signatures present in P.1, B.1.1.7, and B.1.351. Here we report genomic evidence of the first likely imported case of the SARS‐CoV‐2 B.1.525 variant, isolated in a traveler returning from Nigeria.