Sharon Peacock, who heads COVID-19 Genomics UK (COG-UK) which has sequenced nearly half of all the novel coronavirus genomes so far mapped globally, said international cooperation was needed in the "cat and mouse" battle with the virus. Wellcome Sanger Institute has sequenced over half of the UK total sequenced genomes of the virus after processing 19 million samples from PCR tests in a year. MUTATION LEADERBOARDThree main coronavirus variants - which were first identified in Britain (known as B.1.1.7), Brazil (known as P1)and South Africa (known as B.1.351) - are under particular scrutiny. Peacock, though, warned of humility in the face of a virus that has brought so much death and economic destruction. "I think its inevitable that we will have another virus emerge that is of concern.
