SARS-CoV-2 Sequencing for Oyo State and Nigeria

Iruka Okeke of the University of Ibadan in Nigeria will use academic sequencing resources to expand the genomic surveillance framework of Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control for the rapid detection of newly-evolved or imported viral variants to inform national vaccination strategies. Nigeria’s SARS-CoV-2 sequencing needs currently surpass its capacity. To address this, they will repurpose existing academic sequencing and bioinformatics resources and expertise for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance, and share the data with the national and global communities in near real-time. They will also pilot an approach to more efficiently monitor the existence and spread of viral variants and viral breakthrough strains by sequencing SARS-CoV-2 positive samples from around 180 health workers, who have greater exposure and better access to vaccines.