Indore: Even after being the worst hit by Covid-19, no end to Indore’s wait for a genome sequencing machine

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

Even after being the worst hit by Covid-19, Indore will have to wait for more to get the genome sequencing machine as the government has decided to get the machine installed in Hamidia Hospital, Bhopal first.

The decision has surprised the city officials as Bhopal already has the facility of genome sequencing at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
At present, samples of Covid-19 patients in Indore are being sent to National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Delhi and AIIMS, Bhopal for genome sequencing to know about the variant of the prevalent coronavirus.

The Centre has allotted five genome-sequencing machines to the state in December 2021 on the ground that the samples collected in Madhya Pradesh for Covid testing were sent to Delhi for genome sequencing, and it took 10 to 15 days to get reports.

These five machines were to be installed in Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Rewa and Gwalior cities. These machines considerably help shorten the detection time of variants.

“MGM Medical College was supposed to deposit the funds for the machine but it couldn’t be done due to lack of funds. Now, the machine will be installed in Hamidia Hospital and MGM Medical College, Indore will have to wait for more for the machine,” sources said.

However, the MGM Medical College administration believes to get the machine in the next phase.

“We have also applied with the government for the genome sequencing machine to be installed in MGM Medical College. We believe that we will get the machine soon,” Dean of MGM Medical College Dr Sanjay Dixit said.

Indore was the worst hit by Covid-19 but gets variant reports in 15-20 days

Indore was the worst hit by Covid-19 and adds the highest number of cases in the state’s tally.

As many as 207951 cases were found positive in the city and as many as 1461 patients lost their lives. As many as nine cases of Omicron were also tested positive in Indore but the samples were tested by a private laboratory.

Published on: Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 01:32 AM IST