National COVID-19 activities

We are also increasingly hearing about new Omicron sub-variants with names such as BA.2, BA.4 and now BA.5. The concern is these sub-variants may lead to people becoming reinfected, leading to another rise in cases.

We are also increasingly hearing about new Omicron sub-variants with names such as BA.2, BA.4 and now BA.5. The concern is these sub-variants may lead to people becoming reinfected, leading to another rise in cases.

University of Melbourne Associate Professor Torsten Seemann has won the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Innovation Challenge for his work leading the development of AusTrakka, Australia’s national pathogen genomics surveillance platform.

Published in Nature Communications, researchers behind AusTrakka outline how the platform has facilitated rapid data sharing, democratised access to computational and bioinformatic resources and expertise, and achieved national real-time genomic surveillance.

The latest COVID-19 variant, Omicron, has sparked international travel bans, stricter quarantine and a lot of “hype” worldwide – but we still have a lot to learn about the mutation

The Pathogen Genomics in Public HeAlth Surveillance Evaluation (PG-PHASE) Framework published in Genome Medicine, uses an adaptable, whole-of-system approach towards understanding the utility of pathogen genomics and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in disease control and measuring the impact on public health processes and outcomes.

The Communicable Diseases Genomic Network (CDGN) co-chair Professor Ben Howden, featured on ABC Radio National’s Sunday Extra with Julian Morrow to discuss the important role genomic sequencing has played in the COVID-19 pandemic response.

It’s been widely publicised that the variant of SARS-CoV-2 associated with Melbourne’s outbreak is the B.1.617 variant. What do we know about it? Is it more transmissible?

Genome sequencing has been around for decades and has become faster and cheaper in more recent years. But how is it currently being used across the world in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic?

Dr Clare Sloggett, Doherty Institute, recently presented a webinar on AusTrakka, hosted by Australian BioCommons.