Summary:
Almost 800 to 900 samples from Maharashtra and Kerala - two of the five states that have seen a rise in coronavirus cases in the recent days - have been sent for genome sequencing in the last one month, top sources in the Union Health Ministry said.
This comes amid fear of the mutant strains of the virus.
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Almost 800 to 900 samples from Maharashtra and Kerala - two of the five states that have seen a rise in coronavirus cases in the recent days - have been sent for genome sequencing in the last one month, top sources in the Union Health Ministry said.
This comes amid fear of the mutant strains of the virus.
Samples for genome sequencing - a testing process to understand the complete genetics of an organism - have also been sought from Punjab and Bengaluru.
Sources in the ministry said it will become clear in three to four days whether new variants of coronavirus have a role in the resurgence of Covid cases in these parts of the country.
Genome sequencing of nearly 6,000 samples has been done so far in the country.
Authorities gave not been able to verify if the recent Covid cases in Kerala are due to the new variants.
A "micro-level monitoring" is being done in Kerala and Mumbai, sources in the ministry said.
Officials are also finding out if Covid clusters are being formed in new areas.
But government officials admit that India`s genome sequencing has been below the mark so far and that needs to change in the upcoming weeks.
"The country has set up ten surveillance sites or labs for genomic sequencing and certainly the progress has not been up to the mark.
We were expected to sequence 5 per cent of all the positive samples on a daily basis...
There are two things - one is known mutants that have come from other countries into India.