Biosafety and biosecurity challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Saskia A Rutjes; Iris M Vennis; Edith Wagner; Vakhtang Maisaia; Lukas Peintner

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1117316

Biosafety and biosecurity challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 Mar 1:11:1117316. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1117316. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Saskia A Rutjes¹, Iris M Vennis¹, Edith Wagner², Vakhtang Maisaia³, Lukas Peintner⁴

Affiliations

¹ Laboratory for Zoonoses and Environmental Microbiology, Centre for Infectious Disease Control, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM), Bilthoven, Netherlands.
² Section of Experimental Virology, Institute of Medical Microbiology, Jena University-Hospital, Jena, Germany.
³ Faculty of Social Sciences, Caucasus International University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
⁴ Institute of Molecular Medicine and Cell Research, Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.

Abstract

As the world continues to battle the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, it is a stark reminder of the devastation biological threats can cause. In an unprecedented way the global community saw a massive surge in the demand for diagnostic capacities, which had a substantial impact on biosafety and biosecurity. Laboratories had to cope with a surge in laboratory testing capacity, while resources and training possibilities were limited. In addition, the pandemic highlighted the impact biological threats can have, thereby giving rise to new dialogue about biosecurity and new biological threats. This paper aims to highlight some of the most pressing issues regarding biosafety and biosecurity observed during the COVID-19 pandemic with special focus on low and lower middle-income countries. The authors provide lessons learned, tools and recommendations to improve future biosafety and biosecurity and increase preparedness for the next global health crisis.

Keywords: biosafety; biosecurity; emerging issues; low and lower middle-income countries; online tools.