Efforts on to identify 5 lakh viruses for preventing future pandemics

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

Even as the world races to contain Covid-19, global efforts are on to sequence new viruses from animal species to understand pathogens better and avert possible future pandemics.

Leading virologist Shahid Jameel, who until recently headed the National Indian Sars-CoV2 Genomic Consortia to sequence the Covid causing virus, says it is possible to know what is out there in animal populations before it gets to human populations.

“Spillovers from wild animals to humans happen because humans come into close contact with animals. We need to pay attention to ecology. If people continue to destroy forests, wild animals will continue to come closer to human habitations. Can we know what is out there is in animal populations before it gets to human populations. Certainly we can, and there is something underway which is called the Global Virome Project which aims to sequence 5,00,000 new viruses, discover new viruses from animal species,” Jameel said on the issue of what the world was doing to prevent future pandemics.

He, however, noted that the trouble was the cost of the Global Virome Project.

The cost is a monumental 5 billion dollar which would mean big considering nearly 25 trillion dollar losses in economy on account of Covid-19.

Citing the silver lining in the Covid cloud, Jameel said the future of vaccinology was bright.

“During Covid-19, new vaccine platforms gave us vaccines in less than a year. This is the bright spot. In future pandemics we will get vaccines far more quickly than this time,” he said.

On when Covid-19 will end, Jameel said the end would depend on vaccine availability, coverage, the duration of protection the vaccines offer and people’s own behaviour.

“Some modelling studies show if immunity lasts less than a year we will likely have annual winter outbreaks. If immunity lasts a little over two years, we will have outbreaks every other year. But we must remember these projections are based on influenza modelling. Covid virus is not an influenza virus. It is a new virus and we have not had any pre existing immunity to it,” the expert noted.

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