Bihar worst in genomic sampling, UP second lowest in India, shows data

11 of the 36 states/UTs have tested fewer samples than the national average

Although the government had envisaged a target of sequencing five per cent of all positive samples from each state, a Business Standard analysis shows that it achieved 12 per cent of the targeted capacity.

Until January 10, data from INSACOG’s weekly bulletin (latest available) shows that the government could only sample 0.58 per cent of all positive cases starting January 2021. Even though higher than the 0.48 per cent sampling it had achieved in October 2021, it was still lower than the targeted capacity of 5 per cent.

Moreover, further analysis shows that none of the states could sequence 5 per cent of all their positive samples.

Data from the Indian Nucleotide Data Archive - Controlled Access (INDA-CA) portal shows that until January this year, 129,063 samples had been sent by states for genomic sequencing to INSACOG. Another 21,809 samples had been received via MoUs with state governments.

Of the 129,063 samples collected for genomic sequencing by INSACOG, five states accounted for 45 per cent of the samples.

Eleven of the 36 states and UTs had a genomic sequencing rate lower than the national average. The genomic sequencing rate is calculated by dividing the samples sent for genomic sequencing from the total number of positive cases in the state between December 31, 2020, and January 10, 2022.

While Sikkim had the highest genomic sequencing rate of 4.5 per cent, i.e., the state had sequenced 4.5 per cent of its positive cases, Bihar fared the worst, having sequenced only eight of the 10,000 positive cases.

Uttar Pradesh saw higher genomic sequencing than Bihar, but lower than the rest of the country. The state, until January 10, had carried out a genomic sampling of twenty out of every 10,000 positive cases.

Maharashtra and Kerala—states with the highest case count during this period—had sequenced 322 and 27 samples out of every 10,000 positive cases, respectively.

Telangana and West Bengal were the better performing states among the larger states. Telangana sequenced 251 out of every 10,000 positive cases, whereas West Bengal sequenced 129 samples.

As threats of new variants emerge, the government will need to step up its sampling capacity. An earlier analysis by Business Standard had found that in the data submitted to GISAID, a global initiative for sharing genomic data, 12 per cent of the samples in the country belonged to the other category. The “Others” category includes samples that cannot be classified under any variant.