Trends in SARS-CoV-2 caseload and spread are often reported on large geographic scales, such as US states, which obscures the degree to which trends may differ on smaller geographic scales. In a recent Nature Communications paper, Pathology faculty Shelby and Dave O’Connor, Bill Rehrauer and colleagues use deeply sampled SARS-CoV-2 sequence data to characterize spread in southeastern Wisconsin and, more importantly, to illustrate distinct patterns of spatiotemporal SARS-CoV-2 spread in two very nearby communities – Dane and Milwaukee Counties. Their data also show reduced viral spread in both counties during the statewide “Safer at Home” order.
Thank you to the UW Health Clinical Laboratories Staff for all their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic, including work by Molecular Diagnostics Lab Staff on this paper! (Photo: some UW Health Molecular Diagnostics Lab Staff; courtesy of Bill Rehrauer)
Nature Communications article: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19346-z
Lead authors: Gage Moreno, from our own CMP graduate program, and Kat Braun, an MSTP student.