Early detection of P.1 variant of SARS-CoV-2 in a cluster of cases in Salvador, Brazil

We report 3 cases of severe COVID-19 due to the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 lineage in a familial cluster detected in Salvador, Bahia–Brazil. All cases were linked to travel by family members from the state of Amazonas to Bahia in late December 2020. This report indicates the cryptic transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 P.1 lineage across Brazil and highlights the importance of genomic surveillance to track the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern