SARS-CoV 2 Geographic and Phylodynamic Distribution from Environmental Sources

The highly contagious coronavirus disease
2019 (COVID-2019) pandemic's etiology is the severe

acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-
2). The disease is highly infectious and spreads majorly

from person to person as well as by contact with viral

droplets in the environment. While the role of human-to-
human transmission is well elucidated, the significance

of environmental transmission is not so clear. This study
aims to evaluate the importance of the environment in
COVID-19 spread through phylodynamic analysis of
environmental isolates. Two thousand and ten (2010)
whole-genome sequences from samples such as
wastewater, sewage, freshwater, and hospital beds from
14 countries were retrieved from GISAID and
investigated to determine trends and patterns. R,
MAFFT, and Figtree software were used to conduct the
analysis.Isolates from freshwater and
hospital beds were the least with 1 sample apiece. The
most occurring clade and lineage is the GK clade lineage
B.1.617.2. The research shows similarities in the
phylogeny of isolates from different geographical areas
that were all found in the same cluster, further
suggesting the possibility of a common ancestor. It also
sheds light on the role of novel transmission routes like
wastewater in the spread of COVID-19 as well as the
importance of measures like hand washing as a control
measure.