NEW DELHI: 1,189 samples have tested positive for variants of concern for SARS COV-2 in India, the Union health ministry said on Friday amid rising Covid-19 cases in the country.
This includes 1109 samples with UK variants; 79 samples with South African variant and 1 sample with the Brazil variant, Centre said.
The health ministry further highlighted that Indian Genomic Consortium for Covid-19 has shared the Genome Sequencing data with states multiple times from March 26, 2021 onwards Indian Genomic Consortium has so far processed more than 13,000 samples for Genome Sequencing. The RT PCR tests being used in India do not miss these mutations as the RTPCR tests being used in India target more than two genes, it said.
April 16, 2021
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Genome sequencing data shared by Indian Genomic Consortium multiple times with States from March 26 onwards The RT-PCR tests used in India do not miss the UK, Brazil, South Africa or the Double Mutant variants of the Covid-19 virus as they target more than two genes, the Health Ministry said on Friday. Sensitivity and specificity of the RT-PCR tests remain the same as earlier, it added.
The detection of these mutations does not change the management strategy, which is to test, track, trace and treat. The use of masks remains the most important shield to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the Ministry added.
These variants have higher transmissibility
70 per cent samples sent to National Centre for Diseases Control by the PGIMER, Chandigarh, had UK variants of COVID-19 and 20 per cent of the samples had 681 H mutant
New Delhi: Higher transmissibility of double mutation variant of COVID-19 in India has not been established yet, said Indian Genomic Consortium.
Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG), a network of ten laboratories established in December 2020, is continuously monitoring the genomic changes of SARS-CoV-2 in India, through Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS).
IGC, which has so far processed more than 13,000 samples for genome sequencing, said that RT-PCR tests do not miss UK, Brazil, South Africa, and double-mutant variants as they target more than two genes.