During the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, Professor Christian Happi and colleagues used advanced genomics and deep sequencing technology to rapidly develop a new rapid five minutes diagnostics tests against Ebola Virus disease, within four months of the outbreak. The WHO and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have since approved this diagnosis. He and his team have also worked to develop a novel five minutes rapid diagnosis test for Lassa fever. In addition to these major breakthroughs, Mr Happi discovered two new viruses (EKV-1 and EKV-2) in Ekpoma Edo State, using a new cutting-edge technology called microbial metagenomics, in 2015.

In this interview with Chiamaka Okafor, Mr Happi, a molecular biologist and Director of the World Bank-funded African Center of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) at the Redeemer's University, Ede, in Nigeria's Osun State, discusses the findings of a recent study from an advanced sequencing of the SARS-COV2 which shows that there are 3 lineages or strains of COVID-19 existing in Nigeria. This interview also explored the implications of these findings in containing the virus, as well as other speculations around the mutation of the virus. Excerpts:(courtesy: Premium Times)