Challenges of SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in Africa

Abstract

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa, Christian Happi, Director of the Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases told The Lancet Microbe that the only way the continent could avoid viral genomic mutations and the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants that could complicate the response in Africa would be to quickly break the transmission of the virus. About a year later, he attributed the emergence of clinically relevant mutations and Africa-wide spread of new variants of concern to inadequate enforcement of public health safety measures.

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