Health Minister Banna Gupta has assured the procurement of a Genome Sequencing Machine for Jharkhand’s premiere State-run hospital, the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), in a bid to strengthen the medical infrastructure in the state to identify new variants of Coronavirus and prevent its spread in the local population.
“Given the pace at which Coronavirus is mutating, it is imperative to have the infrastructure for detecting new variants of Coronavirus in the state itself,” Gupta said.
As of now, Jharkhand sends positive RT PCR samples to Institute of Life Sciences (ILS) in Bhubaneswar for whole genome sequencing, the only process that can tell different variants of SARS-CoV-2 virus apart. While the state regularly sends samples from sentinel sites to Bhubaneswar for genome sequencing, the process is time-consuming, health officials said.
The Health Minister has also given his nod for recruitment of healthcare workers and technical staff for conducting genome sequencing at RIMS, sources from the minister’s office said.
Jharkhand had sent a proposal for procurement of a genome sequencing machine to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare back in March. However, the proposal was never approved.
Assuring the procurement of a genome sequencing machine, Gupta has also directed the administration at RIMS to start a department of genome studies, which will make Jharkhand self-sufficient in fighting cases of viral diseases to a large extent in future.
“As per latest guidelines issued in the wake of the Omicron variant of Coronavirus, we are regularly sending samples for genome sequencing to Bhubaneswar. This process will become easier and less time-consuming if we have a genome sequencing machine in Ranchi itself,” said a RIMS official who recently attended a meeting chaired by the health minister in the state capital.
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 virus, which first surfaced in South Africa, has already been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong, Britain and Israel, sparking a global concern. Cases also reported in Australia and some other parts of the world, indicating that the virus was fast spreading across the globe.
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Director Dr Randeep Guleria has warned that the Omicron variant of coronavirus has at least 30 mutations, and it may bypass the immunity provided by vaccines in India.
Even though the active caseload of Covid-19 has not seen a significant rise in Jharkhand after the festive season, Gupta has admitted that the Delta and Delta Plus variants wreaked havoc on Jharkhand during the second wave of the pandemic, and the state cannot afford to let its guard down at a time when a new, more transmissible variant has emerged.
