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As novel coronavirus mutates, Karnataka panel pushes for faster tracking

The push comes amid mounting concern not just over the Delta+ variant, but also the so-called P2 variant
Last Updated 21 June 2021, 03:00 IST

Karnataka’s Genomic Surveillance Committee is pushing a series of proposals to fast-track genomic sequencing to find or track evolving and dangerous mutated variants of the novel coronavirus in the state.

The push comes amid mounting concern not just over the Delta+ variant which could result in a surge of new cases, but also the so-called P2 variant of the novel coronavirus which ICMR studies have found to be severely pathogenic.

Experts in the committee, which was formed on June 9, said that existing surveillance is limited and unable to present a clear picture of the mutant virus landscape. According to data, Karnataka has sequenced only 1,167 samples to date, since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak last year.

“This is a very small number,” one committee member pointed out.

In a meeting held on Friday, the committee said it recommended training existing lab personnel in genome sequencing to help scale up statewide ability, plus adopting Next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches, which could allow as many as 5,000 samples to be sequenced in a week at centres.

Experts added that the current surveillance system is not quick to respond to events on the ground.

One member, Dr Vishal Rao, said: “Our data is skewed. We don’t have a panoramic view of the genomic landscape. We have 8,572 new variants [of the novel coronavirus] found in India but we don’t have a clear categorisation by Variants Under Investigation (VUI), Variants of Interest (VOI) and Variants of Concern (VOC).”

According to Professor Satyajit Mayor, director, National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), and also a committee member, the current challenge of building up sequencing capacity can be likened to the challenges in scaling up RT-PCR testing early in the pandemic.

“Previously, our task was finding how many people were positive. Now, we need to know how the virus is circulating in the population -- which will help us make assessments and show what measures or urgency need to be taken. The current level of surveillance does not have depth. However, building capacity is hard as genome sequencing is difficult,” he said.

He added: “At the end of the day, all we can do is recommend. That recommendation is then taken to the Covid Task Force for consideration.”

One effect of limited sequencing is that the detection of new mutant viruses is delayed. The new P2 variant (also known as B.1.1.28.2) has been detected in Gujarat and West Bengal. It has not yet been found in Karnataka. “This is precisely the point,” Dr Rao said. “We don’t have the level of genomic surveillance to prove that this variant is not here already.”

A study conducted by ICMR-NIV in Pune in recent weeks, found that the P2 caused a six-fold reduction in the neutralisation of antibodies among infected Syrian hamsters, in comparison to hamsters infected with the old B1 variant of the novel coronavirus which helped drive the first wave of infections last year.

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(Published 20 June 2021, 19:02 IST)

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