The latest S:N501 focal build is now up, with data from 28th Dec:

We can see new sequences from Italy, Israel, Spain, France, & Ireland in the SE England variant (501Y.V1) & Switzerland in the South African variant (501Y.V2).

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https://t.co/PEU7dhptO6

In 501Y.V1 (SE England variant), we can see 1 new sequence from France & Spain, each. The French sample has a travel history to the UK.

3 new sequences are from Israel (marked 1 & 2). Zooming in on '2' (divergence view) shows they are identical, indicating 1 introduction.

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There are 7 new sequences from Ireland, found roughly in 5 places on the tree (4 are singletons, 3 cluster together - 2nd 'group' from the top).

These indicate at least 5 introductions, but we need to zoom in on the 3 that cluster to see more clearly.

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Zooming in to the 3 that cluster together (divergence view), shows it can be difficult to distinguish introductions sometimes, especially as we expect strong travel links between the UK & Ireland, & may only be sampling the total diversity present in Ireland.

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14 new sequences from Italy are scattered across the tree - some alone & some clustering.

Zooming in on a few clusters shows some seem to be linked, while others are harder to determine.
4 seem to be clearly linked as 1 introduction.

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In 501Y.V2 (SA variant), there are 2 new sequences from Switzerland. As they sit quite separately within this cluster, this indicates two separate introductions to Switzerland.

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https://t.co/6Cux2E3Y6y
Additionally, a new graph showing the proportion of different variants in selected countries is also up.

Note the sharp in increase of N501 (bright pink) at the end of many graphs: this indicates increased interest in sequencing N501 samples.

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https://t.co/AUkR60o0GO
While more sequencing is great, you can see how switching to preferentially sequencing N501 samples will distort our ability to track other variants, both current & emerging.

Long-term, we need coordinated & regular sequencing of many samples to track #SARSCoV2 variants!

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For those for whom it's helpful, there's also a new 'N501-noUK' build up which reduces the number of UK sequences.
*Importantly* one /should not/ use this tree to discern connections between sequences - use in conjunction with the full N501 tree!

https://t.co/9md0yn9Qgp

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Notably, in the '501-noUK' build, an Israeli sequence seems to 'stick out' from the main 501Y.V1 cluster - we've already been in touch with Israeli scientists & there issues with this sequence (mixed base frequencies at some sites) - do not read much into its position!

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More from Dr Emma Hodcroft

Each day brings new challenges, but here's an update to the dedicated S.N501 build, using data from 6 Jan 2021 to keep you going.

There are 42 new non-UK sequences in 501Y.V1 (B.1.1.7) & 7 new non-South-African sequences in 501Y.V2.

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https://t.co/kT1gFsSZn0


There are 42 new non-UK sequences in 501Y.V1 from the Netherlands, Italy, Hong Kong, Finland, Sweden, Germany, USA, Switzerland, Brazil, and the first sequence from 501Y.V1 in Oman.

https://t.co/XA8VR8HiEq

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Oman has their first sequence which falls into 501Y.V1:

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Finland has 12 new sequences (orange), which mostly represent separate introductions. Zooming in (divergence view), we can see 3 of the new sequences are identical (red), which may indicate the cases are connected.

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Sweden has 8 new sequences (orange), which indicate separate introductions.

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More from World

Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time! https://t.co/xPMGL36VGy


So today, I am going to quickly talk about 4 or 5 countries where you can get residence visas.

Why residence visas?

For starters, they are cheaper, FAR CHEAPER than passports, and offer almost all the benefits, not not, but a large swathe of them.

Second, residencies can be...

a pathway to citizenship.

In one or two of the countries I will talk about tonight, if you renew your residencies long enough, and fulfill all requirements, according to their law, which differs from country to country, you become eligible to apply for full citizenship.

So...

you can see why they are good enough?

Cool. Alright, let's begin.

The first country is

1. Barbados

Yes, @Rihanna's country.

The first thing I love about it is it's fully black, majority descendants of ex-slaves of Igbo extraction.

That's why they refer to their country...

Barbados last year officially launched its 12-month Barbados Welcome Stamp, a new visa that allows remote workers to live and work from the Caribbean country for up to a year.

Applicants must electronically submit documents, such as a copy of their international passport and...

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