Coronavirus | Genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 hit by shortage in samples from patients

It has been three months for the reason that formation of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG). It is comprised of prime 10 regional labs of CSIR, DBT and ICMR and is concerned in genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2. However, they’re but to get enough quantity of samples from the COVID-19 constructive patients from each authorities and personal healthcare centres.

“In the last few months the funds have come by and necessary reagent purchases have been made and coordination among the labs too is improving. However, we are not getting the required number of samples. It is about 50-60 samples a day when we can do genome sequence up to 1,000 samples. Efforts are being made for samples to be received by the sequencing labs to attain the best possible outcome,” discloses CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) Director Rakesh Mishra on Tuesday.

CCMB and Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) are among the many 10 labs chosen by the Centre for genome sequencing of the COVID-19 samples. “We are supposed to get 5% of the new positive samples collected from various districts, mandals and even villages from across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, parts of Karnataka and Goa. But, we have been receiving samples from limited geographical locations. Whereas, the supply from the remote places is non-existent. It is also because the government’s health machinery has once again been stretched to the limit due to the second wave,” he factors out.

States like Karnataka and Goa appear to have most well-liked sending their COVID-19 samples to the native labs. “Here, we want the Governments and native our bodies assist to safe extra samples from these testing constructive. We additionally want samples from personal hospitals the place individuals are getting admitted for efficient and steady monitoring,” says Dr. Mishra.

The consortium had to date genome sequenced upto 14,000 samples throughout the nation discovering “large number of variants of which 2,000 variants fall into the ‘concerned’ category”. “The very nature of the virus is to mutate and test into close by hosts – we’ve got to repeatedly hold monitoring the variants to search for any potent strains which can make the accessible vaccines redundant or trigger extra speedy transmission. For that we have to improve our pattern assortment and likewise sequencing numbers,” he affirms.

The train is to make sure not a single obscure variant is missed by the scientists. And, if one such harmful variant is sighted, the actual space might be quarantined to maintain it underneath test. “We are presently learning the double mutation variant and outcomes must be out quickly. Genome sequencing of the COVID-19 samples can even set up whether or not the spike is because of superspreader occasions. It can even search for excessive mortality, morbidity developments and co-relate with the related signs. Reinfections too might be successfully monitored by means of this course of”, says the Director.

Other labs concerned in genome sequencing are NIBMG Kalyani, ILS Bhubaneswar, ICMR-NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, InStem/NCBS Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, CSIR-IGIB Delhi, and NCDC Delhi. Dr. Mishra had already said that double mutation or ‘B.1.617’ is basically prevalent in Maharastra (upto 50%) and UK variant in Punjab (upto 50%). These are discovered to be 5%-10% prevalent in different locations and it might imply the present spike is probably going as a result of generally prevalent virus strains and attributable to lack of covid acceptable behaviour.