The ‘Operational Guidelines for Revised Surveillance Strategy in context of COVID-19’ issued by Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in June 2022 calls for early detection, isolation, testing and timely management of suspected and confirmed cases to detect and contain outbreaks of new SARS-CoV-2 variants. Therefore, monitoring the trends of existing variants is of crucial importance.
In view of the sudden spurt of cases being witnessed in Japan, United States of America, Republic of Korea, Brazil and China, it is essential to gear up the whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track the variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network. Such an exercise will enable timely detection of newer variants, if any, circulating in the country and will facilitate undertaking of requisite public health measures for the same.
All states are requested to ensure that as far as possible samples of all positive case, on a daily basis, are sent to the designated INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IFSLs) that are mapped to the States and UTs.
(For further details and updates, as well as information about operations in India, contact GAC India at [emailprotected])
Source: Government of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare notice dated 20 December 2022
