Global scientists are stepping up research on COVID-19, as the World Health Organization (WHO) moves to expand its scientific collaboration and monitor emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
A full-day virtual meeting of scientists from around the world, convened by WHO, brought together more than 1,750 experts from 124 countries to discuss critical knowledge gaps and research priorities for emerging variants of the virus.
Upon receiving them, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, said: “Science and research have played a vital role in responding to the pandemic from day one and will continue to be the heart of everything that WHO does”.
The consultation was structured in six thematic areas covering epidemiology and mathematical modeling, evolutionary biology, animal models, tests and diagnoses, clinical and therapeutic management and vaccines.
Scientists noted the importance of research to early detect and understand the potential impact of emerging variants on diagnostics, treatments and vaccines.
There was a consensus on the importance of integrating the new SARS-CoV-2 variant research into the global research and innovation agenda, while improving coordination between disciplines.
“Our collective goal is to get ahead of the game and have a global mechanism to quickly identify and study variants of concern and understand their implications for disease control efforts,” said Dr. Ana Maria Henao Restrepo, head of the Health Plan. WHO R&D.
It is normal for viruses to mutate, but the more the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. High levels of transmission mean that we should expect more variants to emerge.
Of the significant variants reported so far, some are associated with increases in transmissibility, but not in the severity of the disease. Research is underway to assess whether changes impact public health tools and measures.
Genomic sequencing has been instrumental in identifying and responding to new variants.
“So far, an astonishing 350,000 strings have been shared publicly, but most come from just a handful of countries. Improving geographic coverage of sequencing is critical for the world to have eyes and ears on changes in the virus, ”said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical leader at COVID-19.
Increasing sequencing capacity worldwide is a priority area of research for WHO.
Better surveillance and laboratory capacity to monitor strains of concern need to be accompanied by an immediate sharing of virus and serum samples through globally agreed mechanisms so that critical research can be started immediately each time.
Scientists highlighted the importance of national data platforms for documenting critical clinical, epidemiological and viral data that facilitate the detection and evaluation of new variants of SARS-CoV-2.