MANGALURU: In view of the spike in COVID-19 cases among Kerala students, the Dakshina Kannada district administration will send swab samples of some of them to Nimhans, Bengaluru, for genomic study.
Deputy Commissioner KV Rajendra said 192 Kerala students have tested positive in the last few weeks which was a cause of concern. The issue was flagged during a discussion with the Covid Task Force headed by Dr Sudarshan during which it was suggested to send the samples for genome testing.
“We are curious to know whether there is any genomic variation,” he said. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Ramachandra Bayary said the Wenlock Lab will send the samples to Nimhans on Thursday.
Two days ago, the Karnataka government had made RTPCR negative tests mandatory for all Kerala students studying in five border districts of the state. Also, they were asked to get the tests done once in 15 days.