Genomic surveillance SARS-CoV2, preliminary phase

The course of the pandemic caused by the Coronavirus SARS-CoV 2 is influenced by the virus strains in circulation. Certain strains can have decisive epidemiological characteristics such as greater contagiousness, cause more serious development of the disease, reduce the effectiveness of a vaccine.... In December 2020, strains of the so-called English variant or Alpha variant began to be in circulation and foreshadowed a more contagious strain. There was an urgent need to set up a genomic surveillance system by sequencing a certain number of samples positive for the coronavirus. ETHZ, through the Science Task Force and Professor Stadler have made their laboratories, resources and skills available for a rapid implementation of large-scale sequencing allowing the monitoring of variants at the national level. This acquisition allows the sequencing of hundreds of positive samples for the period from December 2020 to March 2021 until a nationally representative program is put in place with different laboratories. This allows the monitoring of a known variant considered to be of concern (Variant of concern) as well as, if necessary, to highlight a new variant in circulation in order to be able to define whether it presents characteristics of concern. The monitoring of the different variants is necessary in order to be able to envisage epidemic scenarios and thus put in place measures, in particular at the level of the international movement of people.