A month on, Amravati yet to receive results of samples sent to NIV Pune for Covid mutations

Since February, 100 samples have been sent to the NIV lab but the results are yet to arrive. Authorities say this has not hampered response, experts differ.

A Covid-19 testing camp in Amravati's Surwadi village | Angana Chakrabarti | ThePrint

Amravati: Maharashtra’s Amravati, which is suddenly struggling with a large number of Covid-19 cases, has sent 100 samples to the National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune to check for new strains over the last one month, but is yet to hear back on even a single one, ThePrint has learnt.

While authorities say this has not hampered their measures to contain the spread of the virus, experts differ, saying the local administration might be in a better position to stem the spread if it is armed with information about any possible new strains.

In February, 100 samples had been sent to the lab, which is part of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG), a network of 10 labs created to monitor the different genomic variations in the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Last week, the health ministry in a press release disclosed that analysis of samples from Maharashtra had revealed “an increase in the fraction of samples with E484Q and L452R mutations”.

These two mutations are said to be immune escaping i.e, those that can evade antibodies and can lead to increased transmission of the virus. So far, both mutations have been detected in several countries but it is unclear whether a variant with both these mutations has been found in other places apart from India.

Amravati district officials, however, said they are yet to be informed about the results of the sequencing.

“There was a state-level team, as well as a central level team that visited us and on their advice, we have sent those samples and I think the process must be on, but this being a technical and expert field, the ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) will declare those results,” Shailesh Nawal, District Collector, Amravati told ThePrint.

According to Dr Prashant Thakre, the nodal officer at the Covid diagnosis lab set up at Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University in Amravati, four samples were also sent to BJ Medical College and had tested positive for the E484Q mutation. He added that 25 more samples will be sent to NIV Pune in the first week of April.

Amravati as well as the neighbouring Yavatmal district in Maharashtra had emerged as epicentres of the second wave last month as the positivity rates touched 50 per cent and 41 per cent, respectively.

Amravati currently has a total of 48,772 Covid cases.

#Maharashtra #COVID19 Updates for today

As on today, there are 3,40,542 #ActiveCases in the state.

Details of district-wise active cases are as follows:

(2/4)? pic.twitter.com/IBjBDTwOcp

— PIB in Maharashtra ?? (@PIBMumbai) March 30, 2021

The protocol

According to the current protocol, results of the genome sequencing analysis are first relayed to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Delhi, which then communicates it to the state units of the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP). The IDSP then communicates this to the various districts.

A source in the NCDC, however, indicated that pendency in the process could be a reason why the reports are yet to be communicated to the district.

“At the NCDC, it is never pending for more than a few hours. The IDSP Maharashtra has to receive the report at the first hand… we are not receiving timely reports from some labs. Had we received the results, we wouldn’t have kept it pending at all, it is just a matter of a couple of hours,” the source said.

The source added, “Most of Maharashtra’s sequencing happens in the two labs in Pune including NIV.”

ThePrint reached Dr Pradip Awate, Maharashtra State Surveillance Officer, and Dr Priya Abraham, Director, NIV, Pune, over calls and texts for comments. However, there was no response until the time of publishing this report.

Impact on the ground

The district level authorities, however, said the gap in information regarding genome sequencing results will not affect Covid response.

“We aren’t facing any difficulty, the genome sequencing and the variants won’t affect the treatment or management. We will have to find the patient through testing, and depending on their symptoms we’ll have to keep them in a Covid centre or Covid hospital. That’s why genome sequencing or a different strain will not affect Covid management,” said Shyam Sundar Nikam, civil surgeon, Amravati.

Meanwhile, experts have said that notifying the district management regarding the results of genome sequencing is important in the public health response to Covid.

“It is correct that the control measures will not change… because the main characteristics of how the virus is transmitting from one person to another, what the control measures are, they would still remain identical,” said Dr Lalit Kant, the former head of epidemiology and communicable diseases at the ICMR.

“But if they say it is a changed strain, people would get alerted, they would then look at the situation in another way. If they say, it’s not an issue, and the same thing continues, they wouldn’t do anything,” he added.

Earlier this week, ThePrint had reported how the virus had spread to rural areas in Amravati due to non-compliance with Covid protocols and lax restrictions.

Giridhar R. Babu, an epidemiologist at the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), said Covid management at both the state and district level should be coordinated. “The purpose of doing genomic sequencing is not nearly for academic interest,” he said.

“Now you would want to know whether there are any variants of interest or concern which have the potential to spread faster. And if it is proved that there are the strains which are spreading faster, we need to be using that for preventing the spread of infection from that area to other areas,” he added.