Jaipur: With the launching of Genome Sequencing at the SMS Medical College, Rajasthan became the first state in the country to own a Genome Sequencing lab.
Launching the facility, the State Health Minister Dr Raghu Sharma said that the facility came into being on the directions from Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as a measure to prevent the pandemic.
He said that the system of genome sequencing has been started at the SMS Medical College by spending Rs one crore
Till now the samples from the state were being sent to the IGIB lab in Delhi set up for Rajasthan by the Central Government's Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). As per the fixed limit, 10 samples per day, that is 300 samples in a month were sent, but their reports were not being received on time.
The new genome sequencing lab will solve this problem and also help in gathering information about the new variants of the virus
The machine installed at the SMS Medical College has started functioning from June 15.
The capacity of the machine is to check 20 samples per day and soon its capacity will be increased to check 80 samples per day. The report of the sample is received in 3-4 days, Sharma said.
Till now genome sequencing of around 100 samples of Covid-19 has been done. As per the test report, the Delta variant was found in around 90 per cent of the samples and covid-19 B 1.1 variant was found in the remaining 10 per cent of the samples.
Sharma also expressed confidence that effective monitoring on the changing variants of Covid-19 can be done with the availability of genome sequencing facility in the state.