COVID-19 Sequencing Dropped 90%, Will Bite Us Next Year: WHO

New York: But for China, the world is breathing easy on COVID-19 and preparing for a joyous Christmas after a gap of three years.

However, experts at World Health Organization (WHO) have sounded a warning for governments across the world.

Dr Maria Van Kerkhove and Dr Mike Ryan lamented that COVID-19 sequencing around the world has dropped 90% from the start of this year.

“This will bite us next year,” believe Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead, and Dr Ryan, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

Dr Van Kerkhove said COVID-19 has not settled into niche and will continue to evolve.

She added the notion that COVID will only become mild going ahead is false.

Genomic sequencing allows scientists to classify a virus as a particular variant and determine its lineage. Genomic surveillance has been an important tool in controlling the virus throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.