The VOI 19B / 501Y (lineage A.27) has been detected infrequently but regularly in France since January 2021.
It represented 1.8% of the interpretable sequences during the Flash # 4 survey versus 0% during the Flash Inquiry # 3. In weeks 10 and 11, respectively 48 and 47 detections of this variant were reported by the 4 national sequencing platforms.
However, several points of attention should be note and justify continuing the reinforced surveillance of this variant. First, it was detected during several clusters, a priori all closed, affecting schools, healthcare (including centers hospitals, SSR and Ehpad) or military, with for some a high number of COVID-19 cases (more around sixty), particularly in Ile-de-France (2 hospital clusters and 8 intra-family clusters), Pays de la Loire (3 clusters), Brittany (1 cluster in Morbihan) and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (6 clusters in Dordogne).
Community transmission of this variant is suspected in at least two departments (Seine-et-Marne et Dordogne), and additional investigations are currently being carried out by the ARS concerned, in conjunction with SpF and CNR, to characterize this signal.
In addition, three cases considered as probable re-infections were identified with confirmation of infection with this variant during the second episode, without it being possible to date to estimate the frequency of re-infections with this variant, nor to compare it with that of other viral strains circulating in France.
Data is still lacking at this stage on the clinical features of infection with this variant, but we did not detect a signal in favor of significant impact on its transmissibility or increased severity of infection caused by this variant. The strengthening of the surveillance of this variant should be able to more precisely document its characteristics, which will be noted to you when additional data becomes available.
