Coronavirus

Measure Would Help Fund Technology To Track Virus Mutations

House bill would provide $1.7 billion for genomic sequencing to explore DNA of mutations.

Measure Would Help Fund Technology To Track Virus Mutations
Wilfredo Lee / AP
SMS

The next round of coronavirus relief that Congress is taking up could help scientists get ahead of new mutations of the virus before they spread.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee bill would provide $1.7 billion for genomic sequencing — which is the process of looking at the DNA of an organism.

That information is key in determining how deadly a new strain can be and how fast it could spread.

The bill paves the way for the CDC to put a national network in place to track the mutations.