Vijayawada: Andhra Pradesh will have one more whole genome sequencing lab, in Guntur, with a capacity to test 192 samples per week.
AP is reporting Coronavirus cases along with other states. Nearly 85 per cent to 95 per cent such cases are attributed to the sub variants like xbb.1.16. In this context, the state government intends to develop the existing state viral research and diagnostic lab in Guntur into a ‘whole genome sequencing lab’. It hopes to get permission soon from the Indian SARS-CoV2 Genomics Consortium, a joint initiative of the Union health ministry, the department of biotechnology, the council for scientific and industrial research and the Indian council of medical research.
The state set up its first whole genome sequencing lab on January 1, 2022 on the premises of government Siddartha medical college in the city. It has the capacity to test 192 samples a week.
Meanwhile, the state government entered into an agreement with the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology to supply reagents and raw materials to the genome sequencing lab here in addition to testing 3,000 Covid samples for genome sequencing.
The AP whole genome sequencing lab principal investigator and scientist Dr N. Subbalakshmi said, “We are finding that a majority of the Covid positive cases are due to sub-variants like xbb.1.16 that’s widely prevalent. Another whole genome sequencing lab will come up in Guntur as the existing VRDL is to be developed by taking mandatory permissions from various agencies to help test more samples to identify the sub variants.”
Districts like East Godavari and Krishna are having Covid positivity rate beyond 10 per cent -- at 13.30 per cent and 10.75 per cent respectively while districts like West Godavari recorded 9.37 per cent, Visakhapatnam 8.70 per cent and Guntur 6.40 per cent. All the remaining districts recorded a positivity rate less than five per cent as per a weekly district-wise positive rate report from the Union health ministry.
As on Tuesday, AP has 394 Covid-19 positive cases. More cases are being reported from parts of East Godavari and Krishna districts as of now.
