In April 2021, 126 active-duty militaries returned to Colombia after a mission in Egypt. Of 29 cases, 28 were B.1.1.7, and one C.36 (first description of this lineage in Colombia). We highlight the militaries as at-risk population and call for implementation of genomic surveillance to improve public health policies in military settings.
Keywords: Alpha variant; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; genome sequencing; variant of concern.