Inadequate SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Sequencing capacity in Zimbabwe: A call to urgently address this key gap to control current and future waves

Mathias Dzobo; Godfrey Musuka; Tapfumanei Mashe; Tafadzwa Dzinamarira

doi:10.1016/j.ijregi.2021.09.004

Inadequate SARS-CoV-2 Genetic Sequencing capacity in Zimbabwe: A call to urgently address this key gap to control current and future waves

IJID Reg. 2021 Dec:1:3-4. doi: 10.1016/j.ijregi.2021.09.004. Epub 2021 Sep 17.

Authors

Mathias Dzobo^{1

2}, Godfrey Musuka³, Tapfumanei Mashe⁴, Tafadzwa Dzinamarira^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Diagnostics and Investigative Science, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
² School of Health Systems & Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.
³ ICAP at Columbia University, Harare, Zimbabwe.
⁴ National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Abstract

Zimbabwe continues to confront the COVID-19 pandemic; there is an urgent need for the rapid scale-up of genomic surveillance efforts. In this piece, we express concern on the limited capacity for SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance in Zimbabwe due to limited skillsets and laboratory infrastructural deficiencies. We call for an urgent need for funding from the government of Zimbabwe to set up a robust genomic surveillance program to detect SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern in Zimbabwe and guide public health responses accordingly.

Keywords: COVID-19; Genetic sequencing; SARS-CoV-2; Zimbabwe.

Publication types

Review