Geographical and temporal distribution of SARS-CoV-2 globally: An attempt to correlate case fatality rate with the circulating dominant SARS-CoV-2 clades

Abstract

Abstract Uncontrolled high transmission is driving the continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2, leading to the nonstop emergence of the new variants with varying sensitivity to the neutralizing antibodies and vaccines.Wehave analysed of 8,82,740 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences, collected and sequenced during late December 2019 to 25 March 2021 from all across the world. The findings revealed differences in temporal and spatial distribution,and predominance of various clades/variants among six different continents.We found no clear association between the pathogenic potential of the various clades by comparing the case fatality rate (CFR) of 170 countries with the predominant SARS-CoV-2 clades in those countries, demonstrating the insignificance of the clade specific mutations on case fatality. Overall, relying on a large-scale dataset,this study illustratedthe time-basedevolution andprevalence of various clades/variantsamong different geographic regions.The study may help in designing continent specific vaccines in the future.