PUNE: The National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has directed Maharashtra to target 8,000 samples for genome sequencing in month of February.
The state had sent 4,000 samples to laboratories last month for it.
Maharashtra is among the three states besides Kerala (15,000) and Karnataka (10,000) which have been entrusted with higher targets of samples of the total 89,840 samples expected from all states in the country for February.
NCDC director Dr Sujeet Kumar Singh said that even as the cases are on a decline in the country, it has directed states to send more samples as it wants to keep a close watch on new variants.
“The samples should be sent from all sections of the society and there should be adequate samples from each district, depending on cases. We know that the virus is mutating, and don’t want to be caught off guard. All states have been directed to increase the sample size so there is correct representation from all pockets,” he told TOI.
He said that since Omicron is well established in 95-97% samples in some states and cases are on decline, with the R naught below 1, there is no point in exploring this variant and it is about other variants that one needs to be watchful about.
“The reason that we have directed the states to send adequate samples is because earlier when there was a decline in cases, the samples were not enough, and the representation, too, was not adequate. The states have been asked to step up so that we do not miss out on any emerging variant,” he said. He said that there are 52 laboratories in the country under the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) and the monthly capacity of these laboratories is about testing 30,000-50,000 samples.
State surveillance officer Dr Pradip Awate told TOI that the state plans to send 8,000 RT-PCR samples this month as suggested by the Centre as against 4,000 samples sent in previous months.
“We want to intensify the genome sequencing in the state. Samples will be sent to the seven laboratories under the Pune INSACOG consortium for genome sequencing. The purpose is to be vigilant about any new variant. We will be sending samples from community, hospitals and travellers as we have been doing,” he said.
