In the wake of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the authors (Ozer… Adewumi et al., 2022), here identified and longitudinally monitored the circulating variants of the etiologic agent, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in Nigeria using genomic surveillance and molecular analysis techniques. We reported sequences from 378 SARS-CoV-2 isolates collected in Oyo State, Nigeria between July 2020 and August 2021. Prior to our submission, Nigeria had a total of only 856 sequences in the GISAID database, thus our submissions increased reporting by nearly 50%. We confirmed circulation of B.1.1.7 Alpha, the B.1.525 Eta lineage and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 at different times. Both Alpha and Delta variants are “variants of concern (VOC)”, The distinct distribution of SARS-CoV-2 lineages in Nigeria emphasizes the need for improved genomic surveillance worldwide and more international partnerships towards the betterment of global health.
Dr Olubusuyi Adewumi with Prof Ronald Swanstrom at UNC, Chapel Hill, USA.
Dr Olubusuyi Moses Adewumi is a seasoned virologist with evident contributions in HIV/AIDS, hepatitis viruses, enteroviruses and SARS-CoV-2 studies. He had a postdoctoral training with Prof Ronald Swanstrom, PhD (UNC, Chapel Hill). He acquired advanced skills on library preparation for deep sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, and investigated HIV CNS compartmentalization among subjects infected with HIV-1 in Nigeria and Malawi. He is currently working with local and international collaborators to investigate SARS-CoV-2 infection in Nigeria. He is also completing a sub-study of an NIH funded Intensive Combination Approach to Rollback the Epidemic (iCARE) in Nigerian Adolescents (iCARE) to investigate social networks and viral phylodynamics of HIV in the population. He is a recipient of numerous scholarship awards and travel grants, and through these awards he has travelled to all the continents. Dr Adewumi was a Consultant to the World Health Organization (WHO) on Polio Laboratory Containment Programme. He was recently appointed the Principal Investigator and Director, WHO National Polio Laboratory. He has over 80 co-authored peer-reviewed research articles and about 2000 gene sequence submissions in DDBJ/ENA/GenBank/GISAID.
Please read the full - length article at: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28317-5.pdf
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