First detection and report of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein N501Y mutations in Oklahoma USA

We describe the detection of SARS-CoV-2 (VOC)B.1.1.7 lineage in Oklahoma, USA. Various mutations in the S gene and ORF8 with similarity to the genome of B.1.1.7 lineage were detected in 4 of the 6 genomes sequenced and reported here. The sequences have been made available in GISAID. Presence of novel lineages indicate the need for frequent whole genome sequencing to better understand pathogen dynamics in different geographical locations.

Authors: Sai Narayanan, Girish Patil, Sunil More, Jeremiah Saliki, Anil Kaul, Akhilesh Ramachandran