SARS-COV2 Whole Genome Sequencing

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2021

As the reference laboratory for Los Angeles County, Public Health Laboratory (PHL) performs diagnostic and surveillance testing for communicable diseases of public health interest. The current SARS-COV2 pandemic has required the laboratory to rapidly implement new assays to detect and characterize the virus that causes COVID-19.Our laboratory was the first local California public health lab to perform whole genome sequencing in California. Over the past three months, requests for viral sequencing have dramatically increased in response to searching for strain variants that could be more pathogenic or potentially could impact patient treatment. Our program quickly scaled up sequencing efforts to begin sharing sequencing information with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as through public databases. We shared examples of our sequencing dashboard, sequencing report format, workflow best practices, and strategic plans with state and local laboratories as the nation begins to implement national efforts for SARS-COV2 sequencing. Additionally, laboratory staff have written articles and provided lectures related to SARS-COV2 to train students, medical providers, and microbiologists. Sequencing SARS-COV2 is a new service for the County, and it includes vital information for public health mitigation strategies