SARS-CoV-2 variant PCR screening and distribution across two divisions of Bangladesh

The widespread increase in multiple severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants is causing a significant health concern worldwide. While whole-genome sequencing (WGS) has played a leading role in SARS-CoV-2 surveillance, many laboratories lack the expertise and resources for performing WGS in local settings. With this view, this study was designed to investigate the circulating variants of SARS-CoV-2 across two large divisions (Dhaka and Chattogram) in Bangladesh using mutation-specific Variant PCR and evaluate the performance of Variant PCR by comparing with Nanopore-generated WGS results.