ASM welcomed Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Dr. Greg Armstrong, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) program, to a Feb. 23, 2021 Congressional briefing titled “Tracking COVID-19 Variants: The Role of Advanced Molecular Detection (AMD) and Genomic Surveillance." 

ASM is a leading proponent of using AMD to detect disease faster, identify outbreaks sooner and protect people from emerging and evolving disease threats. The webinar included an update from CDC on the vital work this critical program leads around the country to conduct national sequence-based viral surveillance and integrate genomics and genomic epidemiology through public health and clinical laboratories, academic research institutions and private sector entities. 

Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), a cosponsor of the Tracking COVID-19 Variants Act now in Congress, provided remarks as well, thanking ASM for its advocacy work during the pandemic.

AMD Resources

• ASM Letters of Support for the Tracking COVID-19 Variants Act.
• Current Status of SARS Variants.
• ASM Precision Public Health Fact Sheet.
• ASM Webinar: "CDC SPHERES Program: Harnessing the Power of Genomics to Bolster our COVID-19 Response" (May 2020).
• Coalition for Health Funding Blog Post—June 2019 “The Hot Zone Meets the Genome: Staying Ahead of the Next Outbreak through Advanced Molecular Detection.”