Virus expert sounded alarm on coronavirus spread: One traveler from China infected 39 people in Washington State
Nickie Louise
Posted On March 17, 2020
As Americans grapple with coronavirus pandemic, virus expert Trevor Bedford sounded alarm today that a single traveler from China infected 39 people in Washington state with China’s coronavirus. Trevor Bedford runs a research laboratory Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said on Tuesday.
On Twitter, Trevor wrote: “Thanks to sequencing by @UWVirology @CDCgov and @seattleflustudy we have genomes for 39 viruses sampled from WA.” He further added: “Importantly 35 of these 39 viruses (90%) fall into a single genetic cluster indicating a single ~Jan introduction from China and subsequent local spread.”
His tweets show how similar mutations in China’s “#SARSCoV2 / #HCoV9 virus” — can be used to track the passage of a particular virus from one individual to others. The chart marks the original carrier and the subsequent victims in red.
By sequencing the genome of the #SARSCoV2 / #HCoV19 virus, we can see which infections are connected to which other infections. See here for background https://t.co/TaH7yonZP1 and @nextstrain https://t.co/JHWNUOwchc for latest analysis. 2/8
— Trevor Bedford (@trvrb) March 16, 2020
By sequencing the genome of the SARSCoV2/HCoV19 virus, they researchers were able to see which infections are connected to which other infections as illustrated in the picture below.
