Background: In Angola, COVID-19 cases have been reported in all provinces, resulting in >105,000 cases and >1,900 deaths. However, no detailed genomic surveillance into the introduction and spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been conducted in Angola. We aimed to investigate the emergence, and epidemic progression during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Angola. Methods: We generated 1,210 whole-genome SARS-CoV-2 sequences, contributing West African data to the global context, that were phylogenetically compared against global strains. Viral movement events were inferred using ancestral state reconstruction. Results: The epidemic in Angola was marked by four distinct waves of infection, dominated by 12 viral lineages, including VOCs, VOIs, and the VUM C.16, which was unique to Southwestern Africa and circulated for an extended period within the region. Viral exchanges occurred between Angola and its neighboring countries, and strong links with Brazil and Portugal reflected the historical and cultural ties shared between these countries. The first case likely originated from southern Africa. Conclusion: A lack of a robust genome surveillance network and strong dependence on out-of-country sequencing limit real-time data generation to achieve timely disease outbreak responses, which remains of the utmost importance to mitigate future disease outbreaks in Angola.

HBV remains a public health concern. Blood donors screened for HBsAg along with AST/ALT could play a key in providing safe blood products. We investigated the features related to HBV infection among rejected blood donors in Luanda, Angola. This was a cross-sectional study conducted with 164 rejected donors. Donors were screened for HBsAg from March to May 2022. Overall, 63.4% tested positive for HBV. Mean age of the HBV-positive (29.2±8.02) was lower than the HBV-negative (33.9±10.0) (p<0.001). Donors between 20–40 years (OR:2.34, p=0.045), females (OR:1.40, p=0.516), residents in urbanized areas (OR:1.23, p=0.530), low educational (OR:1.54, p=0.458), unemployed (OR:1.65, p=0.271), and unmarried (OR:1.41, p=0.616), might be likely to contract HBV. AST/ALT ratio was higher in HBV-infected (2.07±1.42) than in HBV-uninfected (1.90±1.14). About 20% of HBV-positive were classified as having acute liver disease, while 80% with chronic liver disease, based on AST/ALT ratio. Age ranged from 20-40 years (OR:1.97, p=0.305), females (OR:1.61, p=0.557), donors from non-urbanized (OR:1.69, p=0.557), a low educational (OR:1.64, p=0.571), and unemployed donors (OR:1.81, p=0.289) were likely to develop chronic liver disease. Our findings indicated the failure of viral hepatitis control measures. Authorities should consider including HBV nucleic acid testing to ensure early identification of HBV in Angola.