SARS-CoV-2 lineage dynamics in England from September to November 2021: high diversity of Delta sub-lineages and increased transmissibility of AY.4.2

Background Since the emergence of SARS-CoV-2, evolutionary pressure has driven large increases in the transmissibility of the virus. However, with increasing levels of immunity through vaccination and natural infection the evolutionary pressure will switch towards immune escape. Genomic surveillance in regions of high immunity is crucial in detecting emerging variants that can more successfully navigate the immune landscape. Methods We present phylogenetic relationships and lineage dynamics within England (a country with high levels of immunity), as inferred from a random community sample of individuals who provided a self-administered throat and nose swab for rt-PCR testing as part of the REal-time Assessment of Community Transmission-1 (REACT-1) study. During round 14 (9 September–27 September 2021) and 15 (19 October–5 November 2021) lineages were determined for 1322 positive individuals, with 27.1% of those which reported their symptom status reporting no symptoms in the previous month. Results We identified 44 unique lineages, all of which were Delta or Delta sub-lineages, and found a reduction in their mutation rate over the study period. The proportion of the Delta sub-lineage AY.4.2 was increasing, with a reproduction number 15% (95% CI 8–23%) greater than the most prevalent lineage, AY.4. Further, AY.4.2 was less associated with the most predictive COVID-19 symptoms (p = 0.029) and had a reduced mutation rate (p = 0.050). Both AY.4.2 and AY.4 were found to be geographically clustered in September but this was no longer the case by late October/early November, with only the lineage AY.6 exhibiting clustering towards the South of England. Conclusions As SARS-CoV-2 moves towards endemicity and new variants emerge, genomic data obtained from random community samples can augment routine surveillance data without the potential biases introduced due to higher sampling rates of symptomatic individuals

Technology x Society Forum - Constructing and Deconstructing Public Interest Technology: Insights from the Development of ORBIT

Presented by Swinburne's Social Innovation Research Institute and La Trobe University. Public interest technologies put people and society at the centre of our technological choices and strive to ensure that the benefits of technology are widely shared. However, there is limited understanding in Australia of the notion of public interest technology. In particular, there are few opportunities for academics interested in public interest technology to observe and learn from the development of technologies designed to serve the public good. In this workshop, we draw on the experience of Professor Greg Murray, who led the development of ORBIT (Online Recovery- focused Bipolar Individual Tool), an online, guided self-help intervention that aims to improve quality of life in people with late- stage bipolar disorder. The audience will see a concrete example of a technology for public good, allowing researchers to gain insight into the process by which this technology was developed and is being evaluated

Webinar - Technology x Society Forum: Public Interest Technology

The impact of technology on our society is one of the defining challenges and opportunities of our time. In this context, it is critical to consider how technology and innovation affects not just our industrial systems, but entire political, social, and economic systems. Public interest technologies put people and society at the centre of our technological choices and strive to ensure that the benefits of technology are widely shared. However, there is limited understanding in Australia of the notion of public interest technology, in part because the use and meaning of the term is contingent on the ongoing and – in the wake of Covid – emerging questions about what constitutes the public interest. Drawing on perspectives from three experts in industry and academia, this forum socialises the concept of public interest technology, reveals recent applications of public interest technology, and issues a call to action for cross-sector engagement and collaboration to advance the development and implementation of public interest technology