Genomic detection of Beta and Omicron variants
Detección genómica de las variantes Beta y Ómicron
- Date
- 2020-2021 · confidence high
- Place
- KRISP, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
- Credited to
- South African Genomic Surveillance Network (Tulio de Oliveira and colleagues) and the Botswana-Harvard Laboratory (Sikhulile Moyo)
- Field
- Life & health
What was discovered
Systematic sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 that identified the Beta variant (2020) and, in November 2021, Omicron, reported to the world within days. It showed Africa's genomic capacity and accelerated the global response.
Omicron was detected almost simultaneously in Botswana and South Africa. The rapid reporting was met with heavily criticised travel bans.
What it led to
- the updating of vaccines against Omicron
- transparency in variant surveillance
- African pathogen-sequencing networks