Chennai: Head of Minister Nadu Tamil M St Stalin on Tuesday inaugurated the entire Lab sequencing genome in the State Public Health Laboratory in Chennai.
The laboratory will help the authority looking for the SARS-COV-2 variant, a virus that causes Covid-19.
When viruses multiply, small changes or mutations accumulate in genetic code.
Despite prevention and treatment of Covid-19 remain the same across the variant, changes in genetic structures can sometimes accelerate deployment.
Laboratories will also help them track the variants of diseases transmitted through vectors and superbugs that are resistant to antibiotics, said Minister of Health MA Subramanian.
Information available with the Public Health Department shows the majority of strains seen in the state during the peak of infection, such as in most countries, is Delta.
Ten positive return samples for Delta Plus variants.
Until now, Tamil Nadu has sent all samples to Instem based on Bengaluru according to recommendations from the center.
Instem is part of the insacog (10 lab consortium that tracks the existence of variants in covid samples).
The results showed that 80% of the sample drawn was a Delta variant.
The rest of the sample contains other variants including Alpha, Beta, ETA and Kappa variants.
Countries that are categorized by samples from all countries in family groups, community clusters, Covid in children, young adults with severe lung infections, breakthrough infections (infected 14 days after two vaccinations), samples from the deceased and travelers.
“The test results are returned only after almost a month and also state costs up to RS 5,000 per sample,” he said.
In the new lab, 1,000 samples can be tested at one time and the results will be available in four hours.