Covid-19: Health department asked to send positive samples for genome sequencing

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ITANAGAR: With the sudden spurt of Covid-19 cases in several countries, the Arunachal Pradesh government has directed district health authorities to ensure genome sequencing of samples testing positive for the virus, an official said here on Wednesday.

"We will continue with testing and any sample testing positive for Coronavirus will be sent for genome sequencing as instructed by the Union Health Ministry for timely detection of newer variants," State Surveillance Officer (SSO) Dr Lobsang Jampa said.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan in a letter to all the states and Union Territories on Tuesday directed for ensuring that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis, are sent to the designated Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network, Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) that are mapped to the states and UTs. Japan, USA, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China have witnessed a sudden spurt in Covid-19 cases.

Jampa said that the state now has only one active coronavirus case that was detected through Rapid Antigen Test (RAT). "We will have to reactivate our RT-PCR laboratory and if any sample tests positive for the virus, it will be sent for genome sequencing. Testing is regularly going on in low scale. We will intensify it after getting necessary instructions from the Centre. We have written to all the district health authorities to be on alert," Jampa said. It would be too early to go for stringent measures, the SSO said.

Meanwhile, State Health & Family Welfare Special Secretary Vivek H P on Wednesday, in a letter to all district medical officers (DMOs), directed them to review their preparedness in terms of oxygen bed availability, testing kits (RAT and VTMs for RTPCR), rapid response teams, incident command centers and stock of essential medicines, ease of access to services like ambulance transportation to ensure public health response to any possible surge in Covid-19 cases in the districts.

The letter instructed all districts to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive cases, on a daily basis, are sent to the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) that are mapped to the states and UTs.

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