Express News Service
NEW DELHI: Suspecting Omicron community transmission in eight cities in seven states, the Central government has decided to conduct whole genome sequencing of Covid-positive RT-PCR samples from these cities — Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar and Kolkata.
“One of the key epidemiological indices to be ascertained at this stage is the presence of Omicron transmission in the community in larger cities,” said Sujeet Kumar Singh, head of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), in a letter written to the seven state governments on Wednesday.
Citing a meeting with state surveillance officers of these states last week, Singh said the eight cities were identified for monitoring community transmission. “Accordingly, it was decided in consultations with the INSACOG genome sequencing laboratories (IGSLs) that all RT-PCR positive samples from these cities would be sent for whole genome sequencing at designated IGSLs,” said the letter, accessed by this newspaper.
An official from the NCDC explained that as of now, testing all RT-PCR samples for the presence of the new variant, which has been flagged for its dramatic transmission rate, will not be a problem as the number of cases, though rising, is still limited. “Subjecting all Covid-positive samples to this test will give a clearer picture of the penetration of the variant in the community,” he said.
A separate document prepared by the Union health ministry and accessed by this newspaper, which lists 222 patients confirmed with Omicron in India, shows that nearly 60 patients did not have any history of international travel or any contact with those who travelled abroad. Three of the patients have been identified from a “locality cluster” in Delhi.
