How is France tracking spread of Indian variant of Covid-19?
France has reported very few cases of the variant compared to the UK. Some UK media suggest it is because of its advanced sequencing capabilities, meaning it discovers more cases. Is this correct?
1 June 2021
Through sequencing, scientists can analyse samples of SARS-CoV-2 to find out how the virus has mutated and if it has mutations common in any of the more concerning variants Pic: CI Photos / ShutterstockBy Thomas Brent
Sequencing - a word widely used since the Covid-19 pandemic began but whose meaning is lost on most people - refers to genomic sequencing.