Inside South African virology labs: Hunting for the next Covid variant

South African labs have been critical to combating the coronavirus

As the port city of Durban eases into South Africa’s annual summer holiday season, scientists at a virology laboratory at the Africa Health Research Institute are working around the clock.
 

The discovery of the omicron Covid-19 variant by South African and Botswanan scientists last month has lent urgency to efforts to isolate the virus and test its ability to evade vaccines the world is pinning its hopes on to end a two-year pandemic. 

Alex Sigal, virologist, in a laboratory at the African Health Research Institute (AHRI)