Genome sequencing needed as part of coronavirus surveillance – WACCBIP Director

The Director of West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens, Professor Godwin Awandare, wants a situation where Ghanaian scientists will be able to sequence the novel coronavirus genome at least every other week to ensure more significant outcomes.

To do this, the centre would require much more resources, like reagents, than it currently has at its disposal.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Prof. Awandare noted that the sequencing of the genome needed “to be part of the [coronavirus] surveillance system.”

“We are hoping to be able to procure more reagent to continue doing the sequencing otherwise we will have a problem.”

He was commenting on the strides made by Scientists at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research and the West African Centre for Cell Biology of Infectious Pathogens both at the University of Ghana after they sequenced the genome to discover more details on the genetic composition of the virus.

This was after analysing viral strains from 15 infected persons in Ghana.

Despite this development, Prof. Awandare said: “This is only useful if we continue doing it. If we sequence 15 and celebrate it and stop, then it is not very useful.”

“We should be doing maybe on a weekly basis or every two weeks, we should take some of the genomes and sequence them and see what is going on.”

Other countries that have been able to sequence the virus’ genome have been able to determine points of spread and possible index cases.

In the US for example, a study after sequencing indicated that the coronavirus began to circulate in the New York area by mid-February weeks before the first confirmed case.

In this case, travellers brought in the virus mainly from Europe, not Asia despite the US President first closing borders to travellers who had been in China, the global epicentre of the virus.

Aside from determining origins, Prof. Awandare also explained that there was a need to track the virus’ development.

“It is important that we are tracking the pathogen because the pathogen will try to adapt in order to survive so e have to be able to track these adaptations and these changes… the pathogen has not changed significantly yet but that could change at any time.”

A total of 566 novel coronavirus cases have so far been recorded in Ghana with eight deaths and four recoveries.

The Greater Accra Region has the most cases with 452; the Ashanti Region, 49; Eastern Region, 32; Northern Region, 10; Volta Region, nine; Upper West Region, seven; Upper East Region, four; North East Region, one; Western Region, one and the Central Region with one.

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