A Queen’s University study uncovers how COVID-19 was introduced and spread throughout Ireland, offering insights for future pandemics.
Belfast: A new study from Queen’s University has mapped how coronavirus made its way across Ireland. The researchers used genetic techniques to track the virus’s introduction and spread.
They analyzed over 29,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes collected from March 2020 to June 2022. This helped them pinpoint where the virus came from and how it spread.
The study found that most virus introductions came from England, with some cases from the U.S. and Northwestern Europe. Dublin and Belfast saw the highest concentration of cases.
Interestingly, while travel restrictions helped limit new Delta variant introductions, they didn’t significantly lower overall infection rates. This shows that local transmission played a big role in spreading the virus.
Led by Professor David Simpson, the research team aims to help policymakers and health professionals better respond to future pandemics. They believe their findings can improve how we track virus spread and evaluate health measures.
The study involved collaboration with various health agencies and used data from global initiatives to ensure accuracy. It’s a significant step in understanding how to manage public health during crises.
