Genome sequencing and its use in public health responses to COVID-19
John-Sebastian EdenCentre for Virus Research, The Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Westmead, NSW 2145, Australia; and Marie Bashir Institute for Infectious Diseases and Biosecurity, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 8627 1817; Email: js.eden@sydney.edu.au
Microbiology Australia 42(1) 44-46 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA21012
Submitted: 22 February 2021 Accepted: 10 March 2021 Published: 9 April 2021
Journal Compilation © The Authors 2021 Open Access CC BY, published (by CSIRO Publishing) on behalf of the ASM
Abstract
Human history has been shaped by the heavy burden of infectious disease pandemics. Yet, despite the bitter lessons learned from history, even those in living memory such as the 1918 influenza pandemic and HIV/AIDS epidemic, COVID-19 stands unique in the sudden, immense health and economic impacts to the global human population. While the costs have been great, and the long-term consequences are still being revealed, the urgent need for action has also brought forward rapid developments and innovations to combat COVID-19 and better prepare us for future infectious disease outbreaks. One such area has been the widespread adoption of whole genome sequencing to inform public health responses. Genome sequencing during the COVID-19 pandemic has become key to tracking the spread of SARS-CoV-2 at all scales, to such a degree that terms such as genomics, mutations, variants and clusters are now common vernacular to politicians, health officials and the general public. This article provides a commentary on the genesis and evolution of SARS-CoV-2 genome sequencing, and its critical on-going role in the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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