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South Africa’s swift genomic sequencing was instrumental in alerting the world in December to an unusual genome profile present in samples tested for coronavirus. The Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa first spotted the mutated variant in sequencing data from Botswana. As the outbreak continues, national laboratories and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) have joined efforts to ramp up Africa’s sequencing response. This larger Africa-wide network for viral sequencing, which was launched by Africa CDC, the World Health Organization and a group of public, private and non-profit organizations in October 2020, has made rapid progress on the continent. The aim is not only to accelerate surveillance for COVID-19, but also to build the infrastructure and the expertise in next-generation sequencing to confront future epidemic threats as well as to tackle endemic diseases, such as AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and cholera.
