Care homes are at high risk of experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19, the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2. Older people and those affected by heart disease, respiratory disease and type 2 diabetes—all of which increase with age—are at greatest risk of severe disease and even death, making the care home population especially vulnerable.

Care homes are known to be high-risk settings for infectious diseases, owing to a combination of the underlying vulnerability of residents who are often frail and elderly, the shared living environment with multiple communal spaces, and the high number of contacts between residents, staff and visitors in an enclosed space.

SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus and as such its genetic code is prone to errors each time it replicates. It is currently estimated that the virus mutates at a rate of 2.5 nucleotides (the A, C, G and U of its genetic code) per month. Reading—or 'sequencing' – the genetic code of the virus can provide valuable information on its biology and transmission. It allows researchers to create 'family trees' – known as phylogenetic trees—that show how samples relate to each other.

Scientists and clinicians in Cambridge have pioneered the use of genome sequencing and epidemiological information to trace outbreaks and transmission networks in hospitals and community-based healthcare settings, helping inform infection control measures and break the chains of transmission. Since March 2020, they have been applying this method to SARS-CoV-2 as part of the COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) Consortium.

Regards

John
Editorial Assistant
Immunogenetics Open Access