Q&A: Genome sequencing against COVID needs to be global

ABSTRACT

Speed read Consortia in India and Sub-Saharan Africa seek to expand genomic surveillance Initial focus on informing response to COVID-19 variants of concern Longer-term goal of sustaining local capabilities to mitigate future pandemics Access to fast, accurate genomic sequencing information is key to ending the COVID-19 pandemic, says Manisha Bhinge, managing director of programmes for the Rockefeller Foundation’s Health Initiative. [...]in India we have a consortium of four partners across the country that provides sampling strategies that increase representation and depth within that country to allow us greater insight – more timely, granular and accurate insight – around variants of concern. Deciding which group of people needs the vaccine first, for example, requires an understanding of where there is inherent risk within a population and that’s when metadata is incredibly useful.