The head of the CSIR, Dr. Shekhar Mande, said that coronavirus mutations could take place anywhere.
New Delhi:
Genome sequencing tests used to search for the mutant strain of coronavirus take up to 24 hours, the head of India’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) told NDTV on Thursday. Addressing fears about the new variant of the virus that has stoked widespread fears about increased transmissibility, Dr. Shekhar Mande also said that the COVID-19 vaccines that are being tested and developed should be effective against it.
Six labs across India are ready to run genome sequencing tests to discover the presence of the new mutant strain of the coronavirus. Samples from passengers who tested positive for COVID-19 after arriving from the UK will be sent to these labs. Two of these laboratories, the Institute of Genomics in Delhi and the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, are under the CSIR.
“The process of sending samples to laboratories is still ongoing. It is being coordinated by the National Center for Disease Control. Sequencing to detect the presence of the UK strain can be done in one day because sequencing it has become routine today. It will take a day or two at the most, “said Dr. Mande.
The CSIR Director General said the vaccines should be effective in the mutant strain. “Vaccines are very likely to be effective in the mutant strain. Because only a few mutations, 15-17 of them are in this strain. The vaccines are made in such a way that they target the virus in a very higher and many other sides, so they will still generate an immune response, “he said.
When asked if India should carry out genome sequencing on a much larger scale, Dr Mande said: “This is multi-pronged. Sequence-based surveillance has to be better. CSIR’s mitigation strategy for Covid has been going on for quite some time. ” . We began molecular surveillance in March and continue to carry out genome sequencing of virus strains. We also receive specific requests from state governments. For example, Kerala has asked us to continue to carry out genome sequencing of virus strains found in different districts of Kerala. These surveillance strategies are helpful. They help detect and isolate people as early as possible and prevent further spread of the infection. “
On the UK strain, Dr Mande said: “Some of the mutations found in this strain have also been observed in other geographies such as South Africa and Brazil. These mutations occur spontaneously. Those in South Africa and Brazil were independent of the UK. So this is not a fact that is limited to the UK. These mutations can also arise in India. “
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