“The difference now is there is increasing scientific evidence to show what can happen from a single event like that. The next day, Biogen confirmed that three out-of-state attendees had been diagnosed with covid-19; genetic data show that at least 12 others were sick by that point. ADThe Massachusetts Department of Public Health ultimately identified 97 coronavirus cases among meeting attendees and people who lived with them. Genetic data can reveal connections no one thought to look for, helping health officials seek out and sever chains of transmission. But if it were up to MacInnis, every coronavirus sample collected in the United States would be sent to a genetics lab for sequencing.

Source: Washington Post August 25, 2020 13:53 UTC