Mbala-Kingebeni P, et al. - Researchers performed a retrospective genomic characterization of the 2018 Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in Équateur Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo, that lasted from May 8- July 24 and resulted in 54 documented cases and 33 deaths. In addition, they evaluated possible therapeutic agents and vaccines (medical countermeasures). Using target-enrichment sequencing on samples obtained in the 2018 Équateur Province outbreak, they produced 16 near-complete Ebola virus genomes. They identified a distinct cluster on performing phylogenetic analysis of these genomes and 1,011 genomes from GenBank. This confirms a new Ebola virus variant, for which the name “Tumba” was proposed. These findings support the utility of genomics in quickly depicting a new Ebola virus variant within the timeframe of an outbreak. Furthermore, the phylogenetic analysis indicated the evolution of these variants at differing rates. Medical countermeasures could be quickly assessed via in-vitro experiments performed under the direction of rapid in-silico analyses.