On May 22, 2020, data reports, published by the COVID-19 Genomics UK Consortium (COG-UK), showed the value in mapping COVID-19 lineages across the UK to understand how the virus was spreading at national, regional and local levels.

Approximately 40 lineages of the SARS-CoV-2 virus had been recorded circulating in the UK, some of which had already gone extinct while others thrive.