Huifang Lin

TL;DR: Combined epidemiological and phylogenetic analyses indicate multiple independent introductions to Guangdong, although phylogenetic clustering is uncertain because of low virus genetic variation early in the pandemic.

TL;DR: Daily sequential PCR testing of the quarantined subjects indicated that the viral loads of Delta infections, when they first become PCR+, were on average ~1000 times greater compared to A/B lineage infections during initial epidemic wave in China in 2020, suggesting potentially faster viral replication and greater infectiousness of Delta during early infection.

TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors reported the first local transmission of the Delta SARS-CoV-2 variant in mainland China and all 167 infections could be traced back to the first index case.

TL;DR: Re-positive SARS-CoV-2 cases do not appear to be caused by active reinfection and were identified in ~14% of discharged cases, suggesting a substantially lower transmission risk, especially through respiratory routes.

TL;DR: There may be distinct selection pressures on SARS-CoV-2 replication or infection in vitro and in vivo; an efficient mechanism for deleting this region from the viral genome may exist, given that the deletion variant is commonly detected after two rounds of cell passage.