UW Medicine’s Chief Medical Officer Doctor Tim Dellit says the coronavirus variants can’t be taken lightly.
What’s concerning is that more recently now, 70 percent of the COVID-19 tests that are taken to the University of Washington Virology Lab for genome sequencing are coming back as a variant of the virus.
It’s showing that these variants are spreading faster and are now the predominant strains of COVID-19 in our state.
“So, we’re seeing this increase in cases in our community and increase in hospitalization and increased in these variants some appear to be easily transmitted from one person to another,” Dellit said.
Because of that easy transmission it makes the genome sequencing done at the virology lab crucial for us to get a realistic picture of all the variants in Washington.
That’s why Governor Jay Inslee wanted to see the lab first hand because he says their findings make a major difference in how we approach the pandemic.
“Our decisions we make in our state and our country have to have this information,” said Gov. Inslee
He says the work these folks do give Washington a leg up on sequencing and therefore a leg up on understanding how variants are circulating.
“The pace of innovation this group has been able to achieve,” Inslee said, “it’s been stunning.”
The virology lab does about 1,200 sequences a week.
Considering they sequence about 10 percent of positive COVID tests, some of the most in the country, doctors say the work they do reveals a lot.
“This is exactly what happens in nature: the strong win out and that’s what’s happening with this virus,” said Dr. Nathan Schlicher with the Washington State Medical Association. “It’s just another reason why we all have to stay the course.”
President Biden said that about $1.7 billion will be used to help improve sequencing across the country.
Inslee says that money will help take some financial burdens away from the state who’s been helping fit the bill to improve sequencing.
