Genome sequencing at Gandhi Hospital for Omicron variant

Hyderabad: The high-end Covid-19 laboratory at Gandhi Hospital, which was conducting RT-PCR tests to confirm Covid infections during the first and second waves in Telangana, has now started conducting genetic sequencing to ascertain the Omicron variant, senior health officials on Monday said.

The full genome sequencing of the blood samples of Covid positive international passengers from at-risk and non-at-risk countries, who arrive at RGI Airport in Shamshabad, will now be conducted at Gandhi Hospital, apart from Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

The inclusion of the genome sequencing facilities to confirm Omicron variant in Gandhi Hospital is expected to cut-down the waiting time and reduce the burden on existing genetic laboratories at CDFD and CCMB.

The manpower to handle genome sequencing of the blood samples of international travelers at Gandhi Hospital had received special training from geneticists at CDFD and CCMB. In fact, the Covid-19 testing capabilities at the Gandhi Hospital laboratory were developed after a series of training sessions that were provided to the hospital technicians by researchers from CCMB during the earlier Covid waves.