SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1, BA.2, and XAG identification during routine surveillance on a university campus in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2022

We report SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance results between Belo Horizonte, Brazil's third and fourth case waves. Samples were obtained through a routine university monitoring COVID-19 program from the 9th to the 22nd epidemiological weeks (March and June 2022). We identified ten samples from the BA.1 clade (BA.1, BA.1.1, and BA.1.14.1 lineages) and 45 samples from the BA.2 clade (BA.2, BA.2.56, BA.2.9, BA.2.62, BA.2.23, BA.2.81, and BA.2.10). We observed progressive replacement of the BA.1 by the BA.2 clade. Furthermore, two XAG recombinants were found in the 22nd week. Diversification of the omicron variant seems to have contributed to the resurgence of cases in Belo Horizonte, similarly to what has been reported in South Africa.

Automated summary

This report presents the genomic surveillance results of SARS-CoV-2 in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, between March and June 2022. The BA.2 clade gradually replaced the BA.1 clade, and two XAG recombinants were found in the 22nd week. Diversification of the omicron variant appears to have contributed to the resurgence of cases in the region, similar to what has been observed in South Africa.