- On Oct 1, 2025, GISAID informed us that they had ended updates to the flat file of SARS-CoV-2 genomic sequences and associated metadata that we had used to update Nextstrain analyses since Feb 2020. GISAID's stated rationale was that their "resources are limited". 1/5Nov 6, 2025 21:46
- We strive to credit labs collecting specimens and generating sequence data prominently. But credit for data contributions is not zero sum – surfacing of data in popular tools generates visibility and does not infringe on future publications by the data generators. 2/5
- Tools like Nextstrain, CoV-Spectrum, UShER and outbreak.info facilitate a global community of experts to keep close tabs on the ongoing evolution of SARS-CoV-2. Support for outbreak.info ended in Jan 2025 and CoV-Spectrum hasn't been updated for >3 weeks. 3/5
- Closing these public analyses puts the world more in the dark and concretely harms surveillance as it becomes more difficult for variant spotters to contribute to global situational awareness. 4/5
- Full blog post explaining situation and background is available here: nextstrain.org/blog/2025-11...
