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According to Aurelija Žvirblienė, a professor at the VU Life Sciences Center, an immunologist, explained to the portal tv3.lt, this research was carried out constantly in the UK and made it possible to detect the currently actively discussed virus strain.
“There are a large number of people who are being studied there: 10 percent. All samples are sequenced. And it is thanks to this system that variety has been observed.
Some variants may also appear in Lithuania, but we just won’t know. We do not know the pathways of virus evolution, these processes occur completely by accident. And only by looking at the genome can the changes be recorded, “he said.
Investigate only in fragments
The professor hoped that this current situation would lead to a change and that such a system would begin to operate at the state level also in our country.
“Scientists have been talking about this for a long time and we see that we were right, it was necessary to implement such a system. Currently, such viral genome sequencing studies (sequencing) are done solely at the initiative of scientists. And they are quite fragmentary: for example, we study more samples from the Vilnius region, LSMU researchers study samples from patients who are treated in the Kaunas region. And samples from all regions of Lithuania should be examined, ”explained A. Žvirblienė.
Furthermore, he emphasized, and the procedure itself should be simpler:
“Now it is the case that reading the sequence requires permission from the Bioethics Committee. Therefore, you cannot just take samples yourself and deliver them for sequencing, you have to meet certain bioethical requirements. It is not that simple and it is an expensive and complex test, not a PCR test, and there is no funding for it. “
Behind the world
“When we have such a modern laboratory, a lot of money has been invested, but it lags behind the entire world without doing such research,” said virologist, prof. Saulius Čaplinskas.
At the same time, he pointed out that this consequently makes the methodological management of the entire laboratory network difficult, there are no clear methodological recommendations on which tests to use.
According to the professor, if this variety is already spreading in Lithuania, the question is how accurate will be the analysts’ forecasts on virus management.
So far no varieties have been found.
So far, scientists say there is little chance that this new strain of the virus did not make it to Lithuania. However, there are no studies to confirm this.
Here, LSMU researchers reported that examination of 60 SARS-CoV-2 samples collected in November-December in Lithuania, most of which were completely new samples taken from patients on December 23, did not reveal a new strain detected. in Great Britain.
However, it is emphasized that to detect this viral line, samples should be selected for specific PCR markers or those from the UK. Until now, scientists have not targeted this type of virus.
“Today, we have tested more than 200 coronavirus genomes. Virus variants that spread in Lithuania in spring, autumn and are present are evaluated. This is the largest study of its kind in the Baltic States. In the near future, we will share the results of the latest research in the international GISAID database, “said LSMU’s vice-rector for Sciences, prof. Vaiva Lesauskaitė.
The researchers noted that Lithuania is dominated by the type of coronavirus, which was observed in Spain in early summer and spread throughout Europe.
Researchers at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences have started looking for British coronavirus mutations on their own initiative. Funding for researchers is sufficient only until the end of this year.
Santara Clinics also reported that, based on certain characteristics of the laboratory, the agency’s specialists selected seven virus samples for genome sequencing studies. Test results are expected after about two weeks.
When will there be solutions?
As his adviser Simon Krėpšta recently pointed out after Gitan Nausėda’s meeting with members of the Council of Health Experts, the council only reiterated its recommendation, which was made in mid-November.
She points out that in order to prevent or at least better understand these situations when a virus mutation occurs, it is necessary to constantly conduct so-called viral genome sequencing studies in Lithuania to find out what kind of mutations and how widespread in Lithuania.
That, of course, requires centralized solutions, funding, and a program that conducts several hundred genome studies on a regular basis, every week, ”he said.
The Health Ministry, for its part, has said so far that it is awaiting recommendations.
“The question of sequential studies of COVID-19, the possibilities and advisability of conducting them in Lithuania was transferred by the Ministry of Health to the Council of Health Experts of the Government of the Republic of Lithuania. Council recommendations are currently awaited. Funding will also be decided based on the recommendations, ”the ministry responded.
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