Journal Article Review Ppublish
PubMed: 40197159 DOI: 10.1080/21505594.2025.2480633
SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology, kinetics, and evolution: A narrative review.
Virulence 16(1):2480633
Authors: Samuel Alizon, Mircea T Sofonea
Affiliations
- CIRB, CNRS, INSERM, Collège de France, Université PSL, Paris, France.
- PCCEI, University Montpellier, INSERM, Montpellier, France.
- Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care, Intensive Care, Pain and Emergency Medicine, CHU Nîmes, Nîmes, France.
Abstract
Since winter 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has emerged, spread, and evolved all around the globe. We explore 4 y of evolutionary epidemiology of this virus, ranging from the applied public health challenges to the more conceptual evolutionary biology perspectives. Through this review, we first present the spread and lethality of the infections it causes, starting from its emergence in Wuhan (China) from the initial epidemics all around the world, compare the virus to other betacoronaviruses, focus on its airborne transmission, compare containment strategies ("zero-COVID" vs. "herd immunity"), explain its phylogeographical tracking, underline the importance of natural selection on the epidemics, mention its within-host population dynamics. Finally, we discuss how the pandemic has transformed (or should transform) the surveillance and prevention of viral respiratory infections and identify perspectives for the research on epidemiology of COVID-19.
MeSH
Sars-Cov-2, Epidemiology, Viruses, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Related Coronavirus, Virulence, Epidemics, Infections