Highlights

On November 26th 2021 the World Health Organization (WHO) awarded the status of Variant of Concern (VOC) to B.1.1.529, a novel lineage of SARS-CoV-2 isolated in South Africa. The novel VOC was labelled Omicron. The decision to establish a novel VOC of SARS-COV-2 was supported by the Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE), an independent group of experts that periodically monitors the evolution of the virus. TAG-VE suggested that several of the mutations observed in the genome of the novel variant might impact the efficacy of vaccines (immune escape), the infectivity of the virus or the severity of the disease.
Here we present a description of the main features of the Omicron variant, based on currently available data.

The I-Co-Gen platform developed by the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), and released in April 2021, is currently the most up to date and reliable system for the analysis and collection of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences in Italy. Since its release the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS), supported by the Bruno Kessler Foundation and in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Health, the Regional administrations and the Autonomous Provinces (PPAA), have started an ongoing and coordinated effort for the accurate mapping of the spread of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Italy based on the data incorporated in I-Co-Gen. Results are released periodically in the form of brief reports (further details here).
This highlight provides a brief overview of the main results presented in the most recent report (data updated to September 28th 2021). Data from the previous report (August 24th 2021) are also included to facilitate the comparison.

As of today, the COVID-19 pandemic still affects the lives of millions of people globally and represents a highly complex challenge for scientists worldwide. In these settings a critical review of the technical and organizational limitations encountered by the international scientific community in the response of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic is required to raise the level of preparedness/responsiveness for ongoing and future epidemics.
These are the premises leading to BeYond-COVID (BY-COVID), a project founded by Horizon Europe and under the scientific direction of ELIXIR, which aims to develop resources, data standards and guidelines to improve data analysis and management for current and future epidemiological emergencies.

Coordinated by Professor Alessandra Renieri (University of Siena) GEN-COVID is an Italian consortium that aggregates several Italian hospitals and research institutions under the common objective to identify and characterise genetic traits associated with the grade of severity of the clinical manifestation of COVID-19 disease. As of today, the consortium collected biological samples, clinical data and genome sequences from more than 3000 COVID-19 Italian patients. The project is integrated in the framework of the international research project COVID-19 Host Genetic Initiative.

On September 3rd 2021, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the most important health authority in the European Union, revised the classification of the Alpha variant (consisting of lineage B.1.1.7 and derivative lineages Q.*) from the status of “Variants of Concern (VOC)” to “De-escalated Variant”. A brief summary of the main reasons behind this decision is herein reported.

On August 30th 2021, he World Health Organization (WHO) added a new variant of SARS-CoV-2, isolated in Colombia during January 2021 and subsequently labelled Mu (lineage B.1.621 and derivative lineage B.1.621.1), to the list of the variants of SARS-CoV-2 that should be subjected to close monitoring, also known as Variants of Interest or VOI.
According to guidelines of WHO variants of SARS-CoV-2 can be classified as VOI when they present:

• Mutations that can modify the characteristics of the virus such as its transmission, ability to be recognized by the immune system, cause a form of the disease with increased severity and/or a decrease in the efficacy of diagnostic methods or therapies.
• Proven ability to cause an increase in the number of infections or outbreaks of COVID-19 at the point to represent a probable risk for public health.

The current update focuses on the most important characteristics of the Mu variant and provides a brief overview on its spread (focusing particularly on Italy).