Whole genome sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 in Estonia

KoroGeno-EST-3 consortium’s aim is to sequence SARS-CoV-2 from SARS-CoV-2 positive persons in Estonia during May to September 2021. The goal of this consortium is to generate genetical information (sequences) of SARS-CoV-2 which in combination with epidemiological and clinical data has the potential to inform interventions and policy decisions during the current COVID-19 epidemic in Estonia. The sequencing capacity will enable to monitor SARS-CoV-2 genetics in Estonia: (i) to determine variants of concern and variants of interest, their prevalence and the evolution of the virus; (ii) to determine the transmission networks; and (iii) to evaluate relationships between SARS-CoV-2 genetics and patients’ clinical outcomes. In the future, this data could be linked with individuals’ clinical data, COVID-19 outcomes, human genomics and metagenomics data, giving an opportunity to generate detailed insight into the COVID-19 disease.

KoroGeno-EST-3研究联盟的目标是，于2021年5月至9月期间，对爱沙尼亚境内严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）检测呈阳性的个体开展病毒基因组测序工作。该联盟的核心宗旨为获取SARS-CoV-2的遗传信息（即病毒基因组序列），将其与流行病学及临床数据相结合，可为爱沙尼亚当前新型冠状病毒肺炎（COVID-19）疫情中的干预举措与政策制定提供科学参考。此次配备的测序能力将支持对爱沙尼亚境内SARS-CoV-2的遗传特征开展监测，具体涵盖三方面内容：(i) 识别关切变异株（Variants of Concern, VOC）与感兴趣变异株（Variants of Interest, VOI），明确其流行率及病毒演化趋势；(ii) 解析病毒传播网络；(iii) 评估SARS-CoV-2遗传特征与患者临床结局之间的关联。未来，该数据集可与个体临床数据、COVID-19转归信息、人类基因组学（human genomics）及宏基因组学（metagenomics）数据进行关联，为深入解析新冠肺炎的发病机制提供详实的研究视角。