Since mid-October, the Chinese government has paid high attention to pandemic control and prevention due to a new outbreak of COVID-19. In response, MGI sequencing platforms have played an instrumental role in monitoring COVID-19 variants in many areas around the country.

The Hohhot Center for Disease Control and Prevention used the DNBSEQ-G400 high-throughput genome sequencer* to perform whole genome sequencing to detect the COVID-19 variants in the new outbreak. Authorities have confirmed that Hohhot's three confirmed cases were of the 21A-delta strain, announced on the 27^th of October 2021.

DNBSEQ-G400* is a comprehensive benchtop genome sequencer with high accuracy and low cost. It's high efficiency and flexibility features provide instrumental support in the rapid tracing, control, and prevention of COVID-19 pandemic in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia.

MGI DNBSEQ-G400 High-throughput Genome Sequencer*

DNBSEQ-G50 genome sequencer* contributes to the accurate identification of Delta variant in Zigong, Sichuan

On October 2, Zigong Center for Disease Control (CDC) reported a suspected asymptomatic case of COVID-19 in Fushun County. With the support of MGI’s DNBSEQ-G50 genome sequencer*, Zigong CDC immediately conducted the whole genome sequencing and confirmed it as the Delta strain through consistent sequencing results on October 25. Through comparative analysis, China CDC found that the infected case in Zigong had a high genome integrity (96.8%) with the Delta strains discovered in Inner Mongolia Mesozoic Cenozoic. This has allowed the Zigong city to become the prefecture-level CDC that can independently trace virus sources through virus genome sequencing in Sichuan province, apart from Sichuan CDC and Chengdu CDC.

MGI DNBSEQ-G50 High-throughput Gene Sequencer*

MGISP-100 High-throughput Automated Sample Preparation System

MGI sequencing platform supported the sequencing and tracing of the first COVID-19 case in Alxa Left Banner, Inner Mongolia

Recently, the Alxa Center for Disease Control used MGI's high-throughput sequencers to identify and trace the Delta strain in Alxa Left Banner and Ejin Banner, as well as providing strong technical support for pandemic control and prevention in Inner Mongolia.

On November 8, a total of 122 COVID-19 samples were sequenced and consistently the sequencing results confirmed the origin of the current outbreak in Alxa came from Ceke Port on the Border between China and Mongolia.

MGI sequencing platform provides an important instrumental support for surveillance study and tracking virus variation

Virus genome sequencing is a vital and rapidly developing tool in the diagnosis and understanding the epidemiology and virology of COVID-19. Adoption of viral genome sequencing can assist epidemiologists and public health authorities in determining the geographical origin, whether these cases originated from the same source transmission chain and in evaluating how effective their interventions have been. Advanced genetic sequencing technologies have undoubtedly provided a powerful tool to support COVID-19 surveillance, research, control and prevention helping boost the public health response.

As one of the three companies in two countries worldwide with the ability to mass-produce clinical high-throughput sequencers, MGI has played an integral role in the global combat against COVID-19 based on its DNBSEQ™ sequencing technology. MGI's sequencing platforms to date have supported more than one hundred healthcare institutions including CDCs in cities across China including Xiamen, Ruili, Haikou, Jinan, Shijiazhuang, contributing to the identification, surveillance, and tracing of COVID-19 cases.

*Unless otherwise informed, all sequencers and sequencing reagents are not available in Germany, USA, UK, Hong Kong, Sweden, Belgium, and Italy.