THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the wake of Covid-19 mutant variants spreading fast, the state is planning to launch a rapid assessment plan to closely observe the nature of mutant viruses. A source in the know said that the plan involves research laboratories in the state. The data will be analysed every week to make interventions as it was found that mutant variants are triggering the second wave of the pandemic. The three fast spreading variants are the UK variant ( B.1.1.7), Indian or double mutant variant (B.1.617) and South African variant (B.1.351).
The new facility will draw on the expertise of Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Kozhikode Medical College and National Institute of Virology, Alappuzha. “The rapid assessment plan will be able to churn out analyses every week. It will enable the government to make an early intervention rather than wait for a month to get the data from national labs,” said the source. According to him, the plan will be announced in a day or two.
The results of genome study by CSIR-Institute of Genomics and Interactive Biology (IGIB), released on April 25 found that mutant variants of SARS-CoV-2 that cause Covid-19 were prevalent in all districts except Pathanamthitta. However, the delay in obtaining the results of the samples collected in March drew criticism from health experts.
“The result can be used only for retrospective analysis as we lost crucial time to make early intervention. The Indian variant (B.1.617) will be leading the pack in the surge by now,” said a health expert. According to him, it was important to study at least one per cent of samples of positive persons to understand the genetic and epidemiological link of the mutant virus.
The state does not have a lab to conduct a full genetic sequencing of the virus as done by labs under Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG). Hence, the rapid assessment plan will involve smaller labs to study a part of the virus (spike protein area) and make inference, said the source. According to him, bioinformatics capabilities will be built to analyse the samples with the help of IGIB. RGCB has been involved in conducting studies on spike proteins with small sample sizes.