Perspective Chapter: Real-Time Genomic Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 on Center Stage

Abstract

The course of the COVID-19 pandemic depends not only on how the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates but on the actions taken to respond to it. Important public health decisions can only be taken if we know viral dynamics, viral variants distribution, and whether new variants are emerging that may be more transmissible or/and more virulent, displaying evasion to vaccines or antiviral treatments. This situation has put the use of different approaches, such as molecular techniques and real-time genomic sequencing, to support public health decision-making on center stage. To achieve this, robust programs based on: (i) diagnostic capacity; (ii) high-throughput sequencing technologies; and (iii) high-performance bioinformatic resources, need to be established. This chapter focuses on how SARS-CoV-2 evolved since its discovery and it summarizes the scientific efforts to obtain genomic data as the virus spread throughout the globe.