Currently, four lineages of SARS-CoV-2 have been classified as VOC by the World Health Organization (WHO), displaying an exceptionally high number of mutations resulting in immune evasion and high transmissibility. After sufficient pathological, immunological, and epidemiological evidence, a PANGO lineage of SARS-CoV-2 was marked as a variant of concern (VOC) by the local or international bodies. Due to logistic challenges, testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection, epidemiological investigations, and disease surveillance were hampered in the country, impacting the implementation of public health measures to control the disease spread. The total number of cases soared by October 2021. However, the country experienced a surge in cases resulting in the second wave of SARS-CoV-2 infection, with nearly 177,774 confirmed cases by July end. Papua New Guinea (PNG), with a population of 8.8 million (87% living in rural areas), experienced the first wave of COVID-19 in April 2020, which was promptly controlled by August 2020. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has infected around 2.7 million individuals and resulted in approximately 40,000 deaths in the Western Pacific region.
Genomic characterization of the circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Papua New Guinea
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