GSVM college sent 68 samples to KGMU in 30 days, not one tested
THE SAMPLES WILL NOW BE SENT TO DELHI FOR GENOME SEQUENCING TO IDENTIFY THE STRAIN
KANPUR : In the last one month the microbiology department of GSVM Medical College has sent some 68 samples to the King George’s Medical University (KGMU) in the hope that the genome sequencing would help find the culprit strain wreaking havoc in Kanpur, where mortalities remain a concern.
Not one sample has been tested nor has KGMU given any clarity on the status of samples or the findings, said doctors privy to the development.
Frustrated with the wait, the samples will now be sent to Delhi for genome sequencing to identify the strain.
The head of Covid-19 lab set up in the microbiology department of GSVM Medical College, Vikas Mishra, said that sample collection has begun and will continue for the next 10 days. “We will send the samples to the CSIR-ICIB lab and Institute of Genomics and Integrated Biology now on,” he said.
Senior GSVM Medical College doctors, who did not wish to be named, said the first five samples were sent in the first week of April, just after the UK strain was reported from Meerut. But the KGMU rejected the samples on the grounds that they were not properly stored.
Then over the next 30 days, the Covid-19 lab sent 68 samples storing them at 80 degrees Celsius and transported them, maintaining the cold chain. According to information available with the lab not one sample has been tested as yet. Doctors said the medical college got in touch with KGMU for the reports but nothing was told.
“Identifying the strain is essential for us; that is why the samples are being sent to New Delhi labs for early results,” they said. The samples were being taken from patients with high viral load, particularly those with CT value of 25 or little less.
In Kanpur, though the number of positive cases has gone down significantly in the past two weeks, mortality rates haven’t come down.
“This is clearly a cause for concern and the results of the genome sequencing will help us understand and effectively deal with the virus,” a senior doctor said.