Accelerating genomics-based surveillance for COVID-19 response in Africa
Sofonías K. Tessema, Seth Inzaule, Alan Christoffels, Yenew Kebede, Túlio de Oliveira, Ahmed E Ogwell Ouma, Christian Happi, John N. Nkengasong
Abstract
Timely sequencing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) coupled with rapid data sharing has allowed researchers to develop counter-measures against the virus such as diagnostic tests and vaccines,1 and assess transmission and evolution dynamics as the virus spreads globally. Despite the minimal resources available in the African continent, local experts have risen to the challenge and adopted genomics-based surveillance to guide the outbreak response.2 As of June 19, 2020, a total of 568 SARS-CoV-2 genome sequences had been shared from 12 African countries and are providing insight into the ongoing epidemiology of the virus.