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https://www.arca.fiocruz.br/handle/icict/68568
THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRICS: MILESTONES, INTERVENTIONS, AND MOLECULAR EPIDEMIOLOGY
Author
Wyk, Stephanie van
MoirI, Monika
Banerjee, Anindita
Bazykin, Georgii A.
Biswas, Nidhan K.
Sitharam, Nikita
Das, Saumitra
Ma, Wentai
Maitra, Arindam
Mazumder, Anup
Karim, Wasim Abdool
Lamarca, Alessandra Pavan
Li, Mingkun
Nabieva, Elena
Tegally, Houriiyah
San, James Emmanuel
Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza R.
Xavier, Joicymara S.
Wilkinson, Eduan
Oliveira, Tulio de
MoirI, Monika
Banerjee, Anindita
Bazykin, Georgii A.
Biswas, Nidhan K.
Sitharam, Nikita
Das, Saumitra
Ma, Wentai
Maitra, Arindam
Mazumder, Anup
Karim, Wasim Abdool
Lamarca, Alessandra Pavan
Li, Mingkun
Nabieva, Elena
Tegally, Houriiyah
San, James Emmanuel
Vasconcelos, Ana Tereza R.
Xavier, Joicymara S.
Wilkinson, Eduan
Oliveira, Tulio de
Affilliation
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
2BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India / Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Centre for Bioinformation, Beijing, China / University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Laboratório de Bioinformática, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Centre for Bioinformation, Beijing, China / University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia / Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Laboratório de Bioinformática, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa / Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Unaí, Brasil / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
2BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India / Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Centre for Bioinformation, Beijing, China / University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
BRICS-National Institute of Biomedical Genomics, Kalyani, West Bengal, India.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Laboratório de Bioinformática, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Beijing Institute of Genomics, CAS Key Laboratory of Genomic and Precision Medicine, Chinese Academy of Sciences / China National Centre for Bioinformation, Beijing, China / University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
A.A. Kharkevich Institute for Information Transmission Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia / Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Laboratório de Bioinformática, Laboratório Nacional de Computação Científica, Petrópolis, Brazil.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa / Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Unaí, Brasil / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Instituto René Rachou. Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa.
Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI), School of Data Science and Computational Thinking, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP), Nelson R Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.
Abstract
Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) are a group of developing countries with shared economic, healthcare, and scientific interests. These countries navigate multiple syndemics, and the COVID-19 pandemic placed severe strain on already burdened BRICS’ healthcare systems, hampering effective pandemic interventions. Genomic surveillance and molecular epidemiology remain indispensable tools for facilitating informed pandemic intervention. To evaluate the combined manner in which the pandemic unfolded in BRICS countries, we reviewed the BRICS pandemic epidemiological and genomic milestones, which included the first reported cases and deaths, and pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical interventions implemented in these countries. To assess the development of genomic surveillance capacity and efficiency over the pandemic, we analyzed the turnaround time from sample collection to data availability and the technologies used for genomic analysis. This data provided information on the laboratory capacities that enable the detection of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and highlight their potential for monitoring other pathogens in ongoing public health efforts. Our analyses indicated that BRICS suffered >105.6M COVID-19 infections, resulting in >1.7M deaths. BRICS countries detected intricate genetic combinations of SARS-CoV-2 variants that fueled country-specific pandemic waves. BRICS’ genomic surveillance programs enabled the identification and characterization of the majority of globally circulating Variants of Concern (VOCs) and their descending lineages. Pandemic intervention strategies first implemented by BRICS countries included non-pharmaceutical interventions during the onset of the pandemic, such as nationwide lockdowns, quarantine procedures, the establishment of fever clinics, and mask mandates- which were emulated internationally. Vaccination rollout strategies complemented this, some representing the first of their kind. Improvements in BRICS sequencing and data generation turnaround time facilitated quicker detection of circulating and emerging variants, supported by investments in sequencing and bioinformatic infrastructure. Intra-BRICS cooperation contributed to the ongoing intervention in COVID-19 and other pandemics, enhancing collective capabilities in addressing these health challenges. The data generated continues to inform BRICS-centric pandemic intervention strategies and influences global health matters. The increased laboratory and bioinformatic capacity post-COVID-19 will support the detection of emerging pathogens.
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