Start genome sequencing fast, suggests PTFC-19

    20-Jun-2021
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Jun 20 : The People Task Force for Covid-19 (PTFC-19) has urged the State Government to start genome sequencing of Covid positive patients in Manipur to identify the variant of coronavirus that is widespread in the State at the earliest.
A press release issued by PTFC-19 said that help should be sought from countries that are more prepared in fighting the COVID-19 to carry out the genome sequencing project in the State successfully.
Saying that detection of 18 delta variants recently from among the State population should not be taken lightly, the committee contended that detection of 18 Delta variant, which is more contagious, is proof that the variant is among the people in large number.  
The PTFC-19 continued that the State Government and the Health Department still not starting genome sequencing processes in the State is a tragedy.
Recently, many countries reported detection of mutated variants of coronavirus such as  B117, B1351, P1, etc, the committee stated and claimed that experts, after proper research, concluded that the  Covid variant with no amino acids -H69 and V70 are 50 to 75 percent more transmissible than SARS-CoV-2.
The rate of mutation in coronavirus in this short duration is an indication that this virus will continue to mutate in the future, it said and added that newer variants of coronavirus might be discovered again if another wave of the pandemic hits the country.  
Continuing that the presence of other coronavirus variants in the State cannot be ruled out, it urged the State Government to begin genome sequencing of samples of Covid positive people in the State at the earliest.