COVID19 sequencing

The Functional Genomics Center Zurich was part of the Swiss SARS-​CoV-2 Sequencing Consortium (S3C), the largest SARS-​CoV-2 sequencing effort in Switzerland from the start of the COVID-​19 pandemic until the end of 2022.

The consortium was the only Swiss effort to do weekly sequencing throughout 2020 and sequenced more than 75% of all Swiss SARS-​CoV-2 genomes dating from 2020. In total, contributed 76’922 SARS-​CoV-2 genomes, representing nearly half of all Swiss SARS-​​CoV-​2 genomes sequenced until the end of 2022.

This effort led to the first identification in Switzerland of 3 out of the 5 Variants of Concern (VOCs) declared by the WHO. We first identified Beta (B.1.351; Dec. 26, 2020), Gamma (P.1; Feb. 8, 2021), and Delta (B.1.617.2). Throughout we sequenced a random sample of confirmed cases each week, allowing us to track the spread of VOCs in Switzerland.

For more details go here.