#insacog

Genome sequencing of the virus is an important step in identifying new variants that could be more infectious and deadly. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Consortia (INSACOG) was set up last year and it brought together 10 labs in the country. But the group reportedly struggled to get funding initially. Virologist Dr Shahid Jameel says India started seriously looking at mutations fairly late, with sequencing efforts only "properly started" in mid-February 2021. India is sequencing just over 1% of all samples at the moment. "In comparison, the UK was sequencing at 5-6% at the peak of the pandemic. But you can't build such capacity overnight," he said.

Asked why the government did not respond more forcefully to the findings, for example by restricting large gatherings, Shahid Jameel, chair of the scientific advisory group of INSACOG, said he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy. “Policy has to be based on evidence and not the other way around. I am worried that science was not taken into account to drive policy. But I know where my jurisdiction stops. As scientists we provide the evidence, policymaking is the job of the government.”

“We are in a very grave situation,” said Shanta Dutta, a medical research scientist at the state-run National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases. “People listen to politicians more than scientists.” Rakesh Mishra, director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Biology, which is part of INSACOG, said the country’s scientific community was dejected. “We could have done better, our science could have been given more significance. What we observed in whatever little way, that should have been used better.”

Omicron, sub-lineages remain dominant variant in India: INSACOG

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