Harianjogja.com, JOGJA – The new variant of the Corona virus that causes Covid-19 is thought to have appeared in DIY. The Genetic Working Group of the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing, Gadjah Mada University, will immediately carry out genome surveillance.
They tracked the possible emergence of the new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. “Examination whole genome sequencing (WGS) may only be able to do it next week for DIY, “said the Chairperson of the Genetic Working Group at the Faculty of Medicine, Public Health and Nursing (FKKMK) UGM Gunadi, Tuesday (25/5/2021).
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The UGM Genetic Working Group, said Gunadi, had received reports from a number of health authorities, including the Yogyakarta Health Office. They reported the findings of Covid-19 cases that met the prioritized criteria for the WGS examination.
He said there were six criteria determined by the Ministry of Health, including cases of Covid-19 transmission that occurred rapidly, people infected even though they were vaccinated, transmission to non-vulnerable groups such as children, people who had just landed from abroad, the emergence of reinfection cases, and cases Dead [terkait] Covid-19 with comorbid other infectious diseases such as HIV.
“There are already WHO criteria adopted by the Ministry of Health which become a priority forsurveillance genomics in order to capture the possibility of DIY there are new variants, “he said.
However, according to him, currently UGM Genetic Working Group is still focused on helping the Balitbangkes Ministry of Health carry out genomic examinations of samples of health workers at the Cilacap Regional Hospital, Central Java, who contracted Covid-19 from Filipino crew
Of the 12 samples handled by the UGM Working Group, it is estimated that the results will appear a week later.
“We help Balitbangkes because if everyone goes to Jakarta, in the distance, the Ministry of Health will share it so that the results will be faster,” he said.
Thus, Gunadi confirmed that until now a new variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus had not been detected in DIY because there was no genomic examination.
“One of the officials in Sleman said there might have been [varian baru] but he said he did not know because it had not been done genome squencing it means that he is still hypothesizing because there are many deaths right away, “he said.
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Previously, the Head of the Sleman Regency Health Office, Joko Hastaryo, suspected that a new variant of the Corona virus had entered Sleman. One indication is the spike in death cases due to Covid-19 in Sleman.
Gunadi said of the 1,171 WGS coronavirus samples sent by Indonesia to the international influenza virus data platform (GISAID) until May 25, 2021, 45 samples contained new variants consisting of 16 British variants, 27 Indian variants, and 2 South African variants.
He emphasized that of the 45 samples, none of them were from DIY. “It has not been detected does not mean it does not exist because it has not been done whole genome sequencing, “said Gunadi.
Source: Antara
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