Cork-based scientists tracing emerging Covid variants
New research has found that travel was a significant contributor to the second Covid-19 wave last autumn.
Covid-19 will evolve to work better, to infect better, in a new host warns Teagasc researcher Dr John Kenny.
Mon, 22 Feb, 2021 - 15:40
Maresa Fagan
A team of Irish scientists have sequenced more than 2,700 Covid-19 samples in a bid to identify emerging variants that could be of concern.
The Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium (ICSC) is led by researchers at the Teagasc/APC Microbiome Ireland Sequencing Centre at Moorepark in Fermoy, who are working closely with the National Virus Reference Laboratory, other Teagasc centres, and several hospitals and universities.
First-wave variant
Of 131 cases analysed from the first wave, March to June, two types of virus were found in 69 per cent of sequences but they were no longer detected by mid-June. In the second wave, from July, a new virus âlineageâ â first reported in September â made up 82 per cent of the cases.
The study found that none of the common types of virus detected in the first wave re-emerged in the second with the exception of a single case of a first-wave variant found on December 21st.
The research was carried out on behalf of the All Ireland Infectious Diseases Cohort Study and the Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium, which sequences virus samples and maps the evolution of the virus in the State.
New EU clinical network launched to accelerate trialling Covid-19 vaccines
Network to act as rapid response single entry-point for all stakeholders
Ireland is one of 21 member countries participating in a new European Union (EU) vaccine clinical network which has been launched to accelerate the trialling of Covid-19 vaccines, writes
Maureen Browne.
VACCELERATE, the European Corona Vaccine Trial Accelerator Platform, will be the pan-European backbone accelerating Phase 2 and 3 Covid-19 vaccine trials, connecting all stakeholders involved in vaccine development and providing a platform for clinical trial design and conduct.
Irish Partners are University College Dublin (UCD) and NUI Galway, led from UCD by infectious diseases expert
Teagasc Research Insights Webinar Series: Viruses- The Fightback and the Future
On the latest Research Insights Webinar, Teagasc scientists from the Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium discussed sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the identification of viral variants during the first and second waves of the pandemic. Looking to the future, Dr Olivia McAuliffe discussed the potential of bacterial viruses to improve food safety and quality.
It is almost a year since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Ireland. Since then, thousands of people have fallen ill and died, while empty parks and streets reflect the nationwide lockdowns put in place to slow the spread of the virus. As more infections take place around the world, the likelihood increases of variants emerging that are more transmissible in humans. The Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium is an SFI-funded collaboration between Teagasc and a number of other research institutions nationwide. Led by Prof Paul Cott
February 17, 2021 7:51 pm
While a notorious virus currently holds the world’s attention, Teagasc is looking beyond the Covid-19 pandemic, as its scientists research the use of bacterial viruses in securing the future of food production in Ireland.
The latest Teagasc Research Insights Webinar focused on ‘Viruses: The Fightback and the Future’, with Teagasc scientists from the Irish Coronavirus Sequencing Consortium discussing sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the identification of viral variants during the first and second waves of the pandemic.
Likelihood increases of variants emerging
As Teagasc notes, it is almost a year since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Ireland.