Covid-19: Patiala hospital gets first genome sequencing lab

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 2

Dr Avnish Kumar, Director, Department of Medical Education and Research, Punjab, inaugurated the first state-run Covid-19 Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) laboratory at Government Medical College here on November 28.

Dr Harjinder Singh, Director-Principal, Government Medical College, here said the VRDL GMC Patiala laboratory, recognised by the Indian Council of Medical Research as one of top five laboratories in the country for Covid-19 RT-PCR testing capabilities, has processed around 313 genome sequencing samples till date.

He said, “To expand the lab’s existing capability, a team of research assistants and microbiologists, including the lab in-charge, Dr Rupinder Bakshi, has been trained in conducting Covid-19 genome sequencing by a team of specialists from Genotypics, a Bangalore-based sequencing research hub. Also, a US-based not-for-profit organisation, PATH has donated the genome sequencer and supportive equipment as part of its on-going Covid-19 response support to the state.”

The director said that the lab was also a member of the Indian SARS-CoV-2 consortium on genomics (INSACOG), a group of now 28 national laboratories that was established by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, for carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating Covid-19 viruses and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants.

Dr Rupinder Bakshi said the WGS facilities at the laboratory would aid the state in gearing up and recognising Covid-19 strains circulating among its population, including the B11529 strain renamed as Omicron, in order to devise appropriate and necessary containment measures and strategies.