Molecular surveillance and epidemiology of variants of concern of
SARS-CoV-2 during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in Punjab province,
Pakistan
Abstract
The study was designed to determine the prevalence and epidemiology of
SARS-CoV-2 variants during the fifth wave of COVID-19 in selected
districts of Punjab, Pakistan. The nasal swab samples (n=708)1 of
suspected patients from various districts across Punjab were collected
between December 2021 to April 2022. The genome extraction was done
using an auto-extractor (Uni-medica) in the BSL-3 facility.
Reverse-transcription real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was
employed for viral detection and quantification. For the identification
of SARS-CoV-2 variants, various mutations of spike protein were targeted
using Multiplex PCR. The study’s results revealed the Omicron variant of
concern (VOC) as the prevalent lineage of SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the
selected regions of Punjab at the time of sampling. The VOC accounted
for 90.01% of COVID-19 cases, followed by Delta (6.81%) and wild
variant (3.80%). Prevalence of Omicron (VOC) was recorded higher in men
(47.96%) as compared to women (42.05%). In addition, the highest
percentage of VOC was observed in adults (47.39%) as compared to older
people (32.07%) and young people (10.55%). This study highlighted the
circulation of the Omicron variant during 5 th wave of
COVID-19 in Punjab Province, Pakistan.