{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T10:51:35Z","timestamp":1791975095179,"version":"4.4.0"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1791936000000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":286,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["cambridge.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Epidemiol. Infect."],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>Abstract<\/jats:title>\n                  <jats:p>\n                    We analysed 15,982 quality-controlled SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences from Hong Kong, obtained from NCBI and GISAID between 2020 and 2023, to characterize lineage dynamics, mutational profiles, demographic distributions, and variant-specific viral entry. Genomic surveillance identified 543 lineages and 5,982 unique mutations. Lineages A, B, and B.4 dominated the initial epidemic waves, whereas Delta and Omicron emerged and predominated in later waves. Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 exhibited distinct distributions across gender and age groups, while JN.1 harboured several novel mutations. Molecular simulations comparing spike receptor-binding domain (SRBD)\u2013ACE2 interactions revealed significant differences in binding affinity among variants (\n                    <jats:italic>F<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 4.404,\n                    <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                    = 9.12 \u00d7 10\u207b\u2077). JN.1 demonstrated enhanced ACE2-binding affinity, suggesting increased viral entry and potential transmissibility. By integrating genomic, demographic, and molecular evidence, this study provides a comprehensive account of SARS-CoV-2 evolution in Hong Kong and highlights the public health relevance of emerging variants. These findings support sustained genomic surveillance and demographic monitoring to strengthen pandemic preparedness. Future research should evaluate public health strategies and adopt holistic frameworks integrating population characteristics with genomic evidence to mitigate the effects of future variants.\n                  <\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0950268826102040","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]],"date-time":"2026-10-14T10:22:59Z","timestamp":1791973379000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/policypage","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Genomic surveillance of COVID-19 in Hong Kong (2020\u20132023): Analysing SARS-CoV-2 variants, mutations, and their impact on viral entry"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"154","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0767-2454","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"John David","family":"Pilapil","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00q4vv597","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"May Anne","family":"Mata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00k3q8x90","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Philippines Mindanao"},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00k3q8x90","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"University of the Philippines Mindanao"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ricardo","family":"del Rosario","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01tm9b530","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mark Joseph","family":"Pasciolco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00q4vv597","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"King Lau","family":"Chow","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00q4vv597","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"King Lun","family":"Yeung","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00q4vv597","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology"},{"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/00q4vv597","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}],"name":"The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0950268826102040_r27","unstructured":"[27] HKSAR Government Press Release (n.d.) 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Published by Cambridge University Press","name":"copyright","label":"Copyright","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.","name":"license","label":"License","group":{"name":"copyright_and_licensing","label":"Copyright and Licensing"}},{"value":"This content has been made available to all.","name":"free","label":"Free to read"}],"article-number":"e124"}}