Jan 30, 2021
Genetic sequencing of COVID-19 samples done by Oregon State University’s Center for Genome Research and Biocomputing has detected multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 in samples from around the state, including the highly contagious U.K. strain in one sample from Bend, Oregon.
The Bend wastewater sample was obtained Dec. 22 and sequencing conducted by OSU revealed the U.K. strain on Jan. 21. Bend is one of several locations throughout the state where OSU’s TRACE Community project conducts wastewater testing, which is funded in part by the Oregon Health Authority (OHA).
“OHA is working quickly with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and partners statewide to build COVID-19 sequencing surveillance to track the evolution of virus mutations over time. All viruses mutate and these variants are not unexpected,” said Dr. Melissa Sutton, OHA medical director of respiratory viral pathogens. “We will see COVID-19 variants rise and fall in abundance through our population over time and the rise of a new variant is not necessarily cause for alarm. However, monitoring variants is critical to our understanding of disease transmission, disease severity, the ability to evade testing, vaccine effectiveness and treatment resistance.”