Since Feb, UK variants found in 60% samples

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 20

Sixty per cent samples of the patients infected with Covid-19 from Haryana sent to Central labs for genome sequencing in February, March and April have been found positive for the UK mutant variants.

In the samples taken during the month of March, 77 per cent of the samples were found positive for the UK mutation variants.

310 test positive in three months

While none of the samples sent to the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, a part of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia, in Dec 2020 and Jan this year showed any mutant variant, 310 samples of Feb, March and April have so far been found positive for the UK variants

While none of the samples sent to the CSIR Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology (CSIR-IGIB), a part of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), in December 2020 and January this year showed any mutant variant, 310 samples of February, March and April have so far been found positive for the UK variants.

Rajeev Arora, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Haryana, said the state had sent 1,640 samples to the CSIR-IGIB for genome sequencing since December 2020.

Of these, 710 samples had so far been sequenced, while 718 were pending with the lab for the sequencing.

A total of 212 samples were not selected for sequencing by the CSIR-IGIB, the officer said.

“The highest 76.53 per cent samples were found positive for mutant variants from those sent in March, as 261 out of the 341 samples sequenced so far had tested positive. Forty seven out of the 102 samples sequenced in April and two out of the 77 sequenced in February were also found positive for the mutant variant 501Y.V1, making it 310 out of 520 in the three months. None of the 63 samples of December 2020 or 127 of January 2021 had any mutant variant,” said Arora.

The variant has largely been detected in samples from Panchkula, Ambala, Kurukshetra, Panipat, Karnal, Gurugram, Faridabad, Sirsa and Hisar, the districts which incidentally have observed an unprecedented surge in recent days.

The virus mutant 501Y.VI, SARS-CoV-2 variant VOC 202012/01 (variant of concern year 2020 month 12 variant 01) or B.1.1.7 was first detected in the UK and is associated with increased transmissibility.

Arora said the state expected to receive the report of the samples pending with the CSIR-IGIB soon.

The Centre had recently told the states to send randomly picked samples to the INSACOG labs for genome sequencing to know about the mutant variants active in various states.

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