Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42198721›Full record

ArticleViruses2026

Shifting Epicenters: The Dynamic Regional Dispersal of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron in Poland.

Marcin Horecki, Karol Serwin, Miłosz Parczewski

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Marcin HoreckiDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Immune Deficiency, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland.ORCID 0009-0002-0072-3076
Karol SerwinDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Immune Deficiency, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland.ORCID 0000-0002-1071-8337
Miłosz ParczewskiDepartment of Infectious, Tropical Diseases and Immune Deficiency, Pomeranian Medical University in Szczecin, 71-455 Szczecin, Poland.

Funding

National Science Centre 2021/43/O/NZ6/03054
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The evolution and spatial dissemination of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants have been characterized by rapid lineage replacement and complex transmission dynamics influenced by regional connectivity. This study presents a comprehensive discrete phylogeographic analysis of 90,136 SARS-CoV-2 sequences collected in Poland from 2022 to 2024 to reconstruct the dispersal dynamics of major Omicron lineages, including BA.1, BA.2, BA.5, CH.1, XBB.1, and JN.1. Utilizing Bayesian statistical frameworks, we identified significant viral transitions between the 16 Polish voivodeships and established variant-specific dominance windows ranging from 2 to 4 months. Our findings reveal a highly dynamic epidemic landscape with shifting regional epicenters. The initial BA.1 wave was primarily driven by the Mazovian voivodeship, accounting for 36.1% of outward migration events. This pattern shifted dramatically with the rise in BA.2, which was centered in the industrial Silesian region in the south-west, a densely populated area with strong economic ties to neighboring countries, potentially reflecting a different introduction or transmission dynamic. Furthermore, the epidemic landscape continued to reconfigure during the BA.5 wave, marked by the emergence of new transmission hubs in eastern border regions such as Lublin. Subsequent lineages exhibited distinct geographic signatures: BA.5 spread broadly along the Baltic-central corridor, CH.1 was centered in the north-east, XBB.1 re-emerged in the west-central region of Greater Poland, and JN.1 was driven overwhelmingly by Lesser Poland. These transitions highlight that regional transmission hubs are transient and influenced by local factors such as population density, cross-border mobility, and socio-economic connectivity. This study underscores the critical value of dense genomic surveillance in identifying evolving dispersal routes to inform adaptive, region-specific public health interventions.

Indexed as

COVID-19SARS-CoV-2Bayes TheoremGenome, ViralHumansPhylogenyPhylogeographyPolandBayesian inferenceCOVID-19 surveillancegenomic epidemiologyOmicronphylogeographyPolandSARS-CoV-2viral dispersal

Identifiers

PMID42198721
PMCPMC13211461

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.