Bhubaneswar: Apprehending the spread of a mutated strain of SARs-CoV-2, the Odisha government on Thursday ordered the RTPCR test and genome sequencing of 43 persons who have returned to the state from the United Kingdom (UK) in the last 14 days.
In a letter, Additional Chief Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Pradipta Mohapatra said as the mutated strain has higher transmissibility compared to the earlier strains, intense screening of all passengers from the UK is required to prevent the spread of the mutated virus.
He said as per the directive of the Centre, all incoming passengers will be subjected to RTPCR test followed by genome sequencing at the Institute of Life Sciences, Bhubaneswar which has been declared as the designated laboratory for SARS-CoV-2-genome sequencing as per the guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).
Following are the ICMR guidelines:
—Sample collection and transportation needs to be undertaken by a trained health care worker, dressed in full personal protective equipment (apron, hand gloves, face shield, N95 Masks etc.).
—Two swabs – 1 nasopharyngeal swab and 1 oropharyngeal swab, should be collected in 3 ml VTM (viral transport medium) tube as per prescribed guidance of ICMR, available at https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/5Sample%20collection packaging%20%202019-nCoV.pdf
—1 ml of the VTM sample should be immediately aliquoted (before testing) and stored in -80° C
freezer.
—If a sample tests RT-PCR positive, the 1 ml aliquot has to be sent to any of the designated Institutes as dry ice shipment as per ICMR guidelines available at:
https://www.mohfw.gov.in/pdf/5Sample%20collection packaging%20%202019-nCoV.pdf
According to the office of the Divisional Commissioner (Delhi Disaster Management Authority), 43 persons from Odisha have returned from the UK.
They include 21 from Bhubaneswar, 5 from Cuttack, 3 each from Koraput and Berhampur, 2 each from Nayagarh and Nabarangpur and 1 each from Sambalpur, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Khurda, Puri (Sakhigopal), Balangir and Rajgangpur (Sundargarh).
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