The National Task Force (NTF), formed by the government to organize and facilitate Covid-19 containment efforts in India, has said that there is no need to change the existing treatment protocol in view of the mutations arising in the UK.
An NTF meeting was held on Saturday where evidence-based modifications to testing and treatment and surveillance strategies for the Sars-CoV-2 virus were discussed. The meeting was convened by the Indian Council of Meical Research (ICMR) under the co-chairmanship of Dr. Vinod Paul, member of NITI Aayog and Dr. Balram Bhargava, Secretary, General Director of ICMR.
It was emphasized that since the UK variant strain is implicated in increasing the transmissibility of the virus, it is critical to identify individuals infected with this strain and adequately contain them to prevent its transmission in India.
The NTF concluded that it is not necessary to change the existing treatment protocol in view of the mutations arising in the strain.
The Union’s health ministry, which took NTF’s recommendations into consideration, said that since ICMR has always advocated the use of two or more gene assays to test Sars-CoV-2, they are unlikely to be missed. infected cases using the current testing strategy. .
“It is proposed to continue with enhanced genomic surveillance for the early detection and containment of UK SARS-CoV-2 variant strains. However, it is important to understand that, like all other RNA viruses, SARS-CoV-2 will continue to mutate, ”the ministry said.
The mutated virus can also be contained through measures such as social distancing, hand hygiene, the use of masks and also through an effective vaccine, when available, he added.
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