The rapid emergence and spread of SARS-CoV-2 make clear the need for robust systems to detect and track viral threats. A robust surveillance system could have identified SARS-CoV-2 community prevalence and spread sooner, and better prepared the United States for the 2019 outbreak. When SARS-CoV-2 was finally identified, the virus had spread for several weeks undetected.It appeared in several states simultaneously, and in people with limited or no travel history to regions with high numbers of SARS-CoV-2.If a more robust surveillance system werein place, it could have tracked SARS-CoV-2 from the start of the U.S. outbreak, giving policymakers a critical tool to limit its spread. The emergence of new variants that keep catching the U.S. flat-footed suggests a more robust genomic surveillance system is urgently needed.
The Rockefeller Foundation is releasing an accompanying document titled Accelerating National Genomic Surveillance.
This Action Plan outlines broad priorities that should be considered when establishing a national genomic surveillance network, including: (1) Build a Viral Defense System, (2) Be Diverse and Deeply Human, (3) Connect the Dots, (4) Provide More to Do More, (5) Build New Analytic Tools and Make Them Visual, and (6) Rapidly Assess the Threat Posed by New Variants.