It might also have shown that the new coronavirus was interacting with patients’ immune systems in unexpected ways, resulting in telltale markers in the blood. That would have been a signal to start genetic sequencing of patient samples, to identify the culprit, and might have provided grounds to shut down the city earlier, Dr. Mina said. For that, researchers must rely on standard genomic sequencing of virus test samples.) Health insurance companies would be unlikely to foot the bill, since serology tests are usually not used by doctors to treat people. Dr. Mina estimated that the observatory would cost about $100 million to get off the ground.

Source: New York Times February 15, 2021 10:00 UTC