With 22 583 confirmed COVID-19 cases in South Africa and 429 deaths, the war against the coronavirus continues. Scientists working tirelessly to find a vaccine.
According to the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), a division of the National Health Laboratory Service (NHLS), they have finally come eye to eye with the virus.
In a statement issued by the NICD, the institute claims it has caught sight of the local SARS-CoV-2 virus, the causative agent of COVID-19.
This was done by culturing the virus in a high biocontainment facility, biosafety level 3 (BSL3) laboratory. The laboratory, together with a biosafety level 4 (BSL3) laboratory, is the most advanced integrated high and maximum biocontainment infrastructure on the African continent.
Sinenhlanhla Jimoh, Senior Communications Manager for NICD explains staff wore highly specialized BSL3 personnel protective equipment to protect themselves while doing this painstaking work.
“Successful isolation of the virus was confirmed by observing changes in the cell lines used to grow the virus, called a cytopathic effect (CPE). Confirmation that this was indeed SARS-CoV-2 was done by specific diagnostic molecular assay. The cultured virus was visualized under a high-powered electron microscope,” Jimoh explains.
What does this mean for South Africans?
According to the NICD, the capacity to culture SARS-CoV-2 from local COVID-19 cases was developed in the last few weeks by Prof Janusz Paweska and his team at the NICD.
This will allow scientists to better understand the basic virology and pathogenicity of COVID-19. It will also enhance South Africa’s capacity to develop diagnostics and anti-viral compounds.
“There is also the possibility of using laboratory-grown virus for the local development of inactivated or live-attenuated COVID-19 vaccines and contribute to effective disease prevention and control,” Jimoh adds.
With the NICD and scores of other scientists working diligently around the clock, their efforts are saluted as they strive to save thousands of lives.
