Scientists of the Institute of Human Genetics of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) were the first to study all genomes of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Poland. Researchers saw the more frequent presence of one pathogen compared to other European countries.

They examined 90 sequences (structures of genetic material) of SARS-CoV-2 isolated in Poland. They compared them to 42,000 virus cultures stored in the laboratory for experimental purposes. Such data is collected by the international GISAID database. Polish sequences were collected in several national research centers.

The coronavirus in Europe belongs to six widely recognized types: L, V, S – the older ones, which were predominant in Chinese samples from Wuhan, and G, GH, GR – the most common in Europe. Most of the Polish samples are of the G type: GR (53%), G (27%), GH and GHI (9%). Compared to other European countries, the GR type was predominant in Poland.