Comparative Household Secondary Attack Rates associated with B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 SARS-CoV-2 Variants

Brown, K. A.; Tibebu, S.; Daneman, N.; Schwartz, K. L.; Whelan, M.; Buchan, S. A.

Background: The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants associated with increased transmissibility are driving a 3rd global surge in COVID-19 incidence. There are currently few reliable estimates for the P.1 and B.1.351 lineages. We sought to compare the secondary attack rates of SARS-COV-2 mutations and variants in Canada's largest province of Ontario, using a previously validated household-based approach. Methods: We identified individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in Ontario's provincial reportable disease surveillance system. Cases were grouped into households based on reported residential address. Index cases had the earliest of symptom onset in the household. Household secondary attack rate was defined as the percentage of household contacts identified as secondary cases within 1-14 days after the index case. Results: We identified 26,888 index household cases during the study period. Among these, 7,555 (28%) were wild-type, 17,058 (63%) were B.1.1.7, 1674 (6%) were B.1.351 or P.1, and 601 (2%) were non-VOC mutants (Table 1). The secondary attack rates, according to index case variant were as follows: 20.2% (wild-type), 25.1% (B.1.1.7), 27.2% (B.1.351 or P.1), and 23.3% (non-VOC mutants). In adjusted analyses, we found that B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 index cases had the highest transmissibility (presumptive B.1.1.7 OR adjusted=1.49, 95%CI 1.36, 1.64; presumptive B.1.351 or P.1 OR adjusted=1.60, 95%CI 1.37, 1.87). Discussion: Substantially higher transmissibility associated with variants will make control of SARS-CoV-2 more difficult, reinforcing the urgent need to increase vaccination rates globally.