Question : SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium

(a) whether the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) had asked for fund from his ministry and if so, the amount of funds requested and the funds sanctioned and released so far;
(b) the target set for sequencing when INSACOG was launched and the achievements made therein so far;
(c) the numbers and details of all samples of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 sent to INSACOG for sequencing purpose, State/UT-wise;
(d) whether it was initially proposed to sequence five percent of all positive samples from each state in order to identify potential outbreaks and related strains as part of continuous surveillance; and
(e) if so, the details regarding the number of samples of different variants of SARS-CoV-2 sent to INSACOG every month since its launch, State/UT-wise?

MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE; MINISTER OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY; AND MINISTER OF EARTH SCIENCES
(DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

(a) Sir, the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) was set up for genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 in India. The consortium involves ten Regional Genome Sequencing Laboratories (RGSLs) namely NIBMG Kalyani, ILS Bhubaneswar, ICMR-NIV Pune, NCCS Pune, CSIR-CCMB Hyderabad, CDFD Hyderabad, InStem/NCBS Bengaluru, NIMHANS Bengaluru, CSIR-IGIB Delhi, and NCDC Delhi. The RGSLs are currently utilizing their internal funds and resources for undertaking the activities of the consortium. The proposal for sanction of fund is under the financial appraisal process in the Department of Biotechnology.

(b) In INSACOG, 10 laboratories were designated in India for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS) with the objectives: to ascertain the current status of new variant of SARS COV-2 in the country; to establish a sentinel surveillance for early detection of genomic variants with public health implication; to determine the genomic variants in the unusual events/trends (super spreader events, high mortality/ morbidity trend areas etc).

(c), (d) & (e)Yes, Sir. It was initially proposed to sequence five percent of all positive samples from each state in order to identify potential outbreaks and related strains as part of continuous surveillance with priority given to COVID-19 laboratories/ hospitals in urban areas and tertiary care District Hospitals as per the defined Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). As of 10th March 2021, a total of 19,092 RT-PCR positive samples for SARS CoV-2 have been received from various states/UTs (across the 10 designated RGSLs), in which 4869 samples have been processed. Among the processed samples, 284 samples have been detected to be positive for the ‘UK strain’ and 11 samples positive for the ‘South African strain’ and 1 sample positive for the ‘Brazil strain’. The details regarding number of samples received for sequencing since the launch of the consortium till the 10thMarch has been provided in the Annexure-I.

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