The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investing nearly $ 200 million to help identify and monitor coronavirus changes.
Currently, the federal agency maps the DNA to no more than 0.5 percent of each advanced sample of the virus.
However, defined as ‘pay down,’ officials say the money will help reduce the number of samples a laboratory can test for three-genome sequencing. folded from about 7,000 a week to about 25,000.
The CDC hopes to be able to find commercial laboratories, academic institutions and research centers to help with the effort, especially against new coronavirus mutations that are sweeping across the country.
The investment is part of a $ 1.6 billion package from the Biden administration to expand COVID-19 testing and series by sending more tests to underserved schools and communities and ramping up the supply of test materials.
On Wednesday, the CDC announced that it is investing nearly $ 200 million to identify and detect new coronavirus mutations, and will upgrade a triple genome sequence from about 7,000 a week to about 25,000 . Pictured: CDC Director Dr Rochelle Walensky at a coronavirus preparation meeting on Wednesday
Biden’s administration described the money as a ‘pay down’ and said it hopes to allocate $ 1.8 billion for a genomic sequence as more than 1,300 cases have been identified
At a press conference Wednesday, national test coordinator Carole Johnson said a ramp up study will help Americans return to work and school safely and increasing genome normalization will help prevent transmission changes.
‘To be clear, these facilities are a great help in the short term but they are far from what is necessary to meet the testing needs of a nationwide community,’ Johnson said.
‘They’re just a bridge until Congress passes America’s Rescue Plan.’
American Rescue Plan, Biden owes $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, allocating $ 49 billion for COVID-19 testing and $ 1.8 billion for genomic sequencing.
At the conference CDC director Dr Rochelle Walensky said she was not sure how quickly the group would be able to scale up a series of specimens.
‘When we reach 25,000 it depends on the resources at our fingertips and how quickly we can move our partners,’ she said.
“I do not think this is a light version. I think it will be a dial. ‘
The U.S. has been making significant strides against the virus recently with the seven-day daily rate falling from a peak of 247,164 on Jan. 8 to 75,548 on Wednesday.
While the latest figure is still higher than those seen in summer increases, it also represents a 69 percent decline over the past six weeks, a DailyMail.com survey shows.
However, new changes from the UK, South Africa and Brazil – as well as some indigenous differences – threaten to reverse the trend of reducing case rates.
Since the US is currently genetically mapping just a fraction of the number of confirmed cases, it means that the actual number of variable cases could be much smaller than the confirmed count.
Currently, there are at least 1,300 cases of the variables in more than 40 states, according to the CDC administrator.
‘You have a small number of academic and public health laboratories that have been doing the genomic analysis fundamentally,’ David O’Connor, an AIDS researcher at the University of Wisconsin, told the Associated Media .
‘But there is no national consistency with the strategy.’
Meanwhile, a study published Sunday revealed seven additional mutations of COVID-19 that originated in the U.S., and researchers are still unsure whether they are more contagious or lethal.
In the Senate, Wisconsin Democrat Tammy Baldwin has introduced a bill that would provide $ 2 billion.
Baldwin says the U.S. should analyze at least 15 percent of advanced virus samples. That may not feel like much, but the current rate is believed to be 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent.
Examining 15 percent of positive samples extended the study at least 30 times.
Following 0.3 percent to 0.5 percent of virus samples, as the U.S. is doing now, ‘that just doesn’t allow us to detect rays as they develop and acquire the upper hand, ‘said Dr. Phil Febbo, chief medical officer for Illumina, a San Diego – based company that develops genomic sequencing technologies, told the AP.
‘Biden’ s administration needs to set a very clear goal, ‘he said. ‘What mountain are we going to cut?’
