On 04 April 2022 , Dr. Abedelmajeed Nasereddin published a new study in Infection, Genetics and Evolution journal titled Tracking of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha variant (B.1.1.7) in Palestine. The article aimed to describe the genetic structure of the whole genome sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 circulating in the Palestinian West Bank, and expose viral mutants and characterize their genomic variation, and their genetic relationship to the reference and selected global strains. The results of this study revealed the prompt introduction of the Alpha variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus during the second surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused serious sickness and death. Two districts in the Palestinian West Bank had the highest burden of disease, the Nablus District and the Al-Khalil District. At the time of this study, the pandemic was relatively recent and the studied sequences were still homogenous with minimal genetic variation. The study emphasized the importance of Whole Genome Sequencing surveillance in monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in the community in terms of the spread of the disease and in pinpointing early cases caused by highly transmissible emerging variants. For more information about the study, please contact the main author at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or the scientific research office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
