KATHMANDU: The study of coronavirus gene sequencing has begun in Nepal. The Nepal Health Research Council has started the study by collecting samples of 15 infected persons.
Council executive director Dr. Pradeep Gyawali said Nepali scientists, related experts and researchers are doing the ever-first study in the country at a private laboratory and it aims to determine the genetic type of COVID-19 virus present among the infected in Nepal.
The study is expected to be helpful in finding the strain of the virus in Nepal. Other countries in the world are too engaged in gene sequencing.
Samples for the study were collected from diverse groups within the infected: dead, recovered, asymptotic, those with mild symptoms, children, youth, aged and those who arrived in different countries.
Earlier, the Council had an agreement with the Kathmandu University for this project, but later it was given to the private lab as the University could not get required kits, said Council’s senior research officer Dr. Megnath Dhimal.
Blood and swab samples are necessary for gene sequencing and the results will be available within the next two weeks.
‘’ We have included the infected arrived from different countries in the study to detect the virus strain among them,’ he said.’
The study will show the post-infection development of substances in the blood of infected. Earlier, 98 percent infected in the country were asymptomatic but presently 33 percent have symptoms.
The genetic detection of the virus will be helpful in further study about the virus and find a vaccine and medicines for the virus, it is said. Ten percent of samples will be sent for (re) testing in the foreign-based laboratory after the WHO approval to verify the standard of study procedures and its findings.
The Council has planned to include some 60 samples in the full package of its study and gene sequencing of new samples will take place at the KU. RSS
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