Genome sequencing to start at GMCH Patiala in first week of August
THE LAB HAS BEEN SET UP IN MEDICAL COLLEGE WITH ASSISTANCE OF PATH, A NONPROFIT HEALTH ORGANISATION
CHANDIGARH : With early identification of new coronavirus variants emerging as a key component in the fight against the pandemic, the Punjab government’s efforts to set up a whole genome sequencing laboratory at Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) or Rajindra Medical College, Patiala, is all set to see the light of day in the first week of August.
The lab has already been set up in the medical college with the assistance of PATH, an international nonprofit health organisation. The training of 40 staffers who were already involved in RT-PCR testing at the college is starting from Wednesday.
The virology lab of the Patiala medical college has already got the registration with the Indian SARS CoV2 Genomic Consortium (INSACOG), a group of 28 virology labs from across the country, to conduct genome sequencing.
Bangalore-based private pharmaceutical company Genotypic will provide training to the staff for 3 days starting from Wednesday.
They have already trained few staffers in their lab in Nagpur.
Samples from Punjab were being sent to the National Centre for Diseases Control in Delhi and the National Institute of Virology, Pune, for the genome sequencing and their results were delayed due to heavy rush of samples from other states.
Till date, Punjab has got tested 2,200 samples in these labs for genome sequencing, of which nearly 1,980 had the Delta variant, said state Covid-19 nodal officer Dr Rajesh Bhaskar.
“The idea is to test the variants regularly so that the strategy to deal with the virus is changed accordingly. At least 15 samples from our labs already conducing RT-PCR tests would be tested after every 15 days for whole genome sequencing. Positive samples of post-vaccination, re-infection cases, death cases, severe cases, clustering etc. would be sent for testing,” the nodal officer said.