The Maharashtra government plan to set up two more genome sequencing laboratories – Nagpur and Aurangabad – amid a rise in the new coronavirus variant Omicron. According to reports, these two labs will cost over INR 15 crores.
This development comes as it has been observed that the Omicron variant is being detected only after conducting the genome sequencing test of the samples from COVID-19 patients.
With the help of genome sequencing Maharashtra has managed to trace 32 Omicrom patients so far. However, to curb the spread of the new strain, the Maharashtra government aims to detect such patients at a higher pace with more labs in the state.
At present, the state has six such laboratories – five in Pune and one in Mumbai. These labs can analyse a large number of samples in a short timeframe, thus allowing timely identification of mutants or strains of the deadly virus.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray virtually inaugurated Mumbai’s first genome sequencing laboratory at BYL Nair Charitable Hospital in August this year to offer a significant boost in the fight against the coronavirus.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s sixth genome sequencing report has revealed that Delta subtypes and their derivatives continue to be dominant in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai amid rising concerns over Omicron cases.
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