Venkaiah bats for fast-track genome sequencing of COVID variants
The Hindu
Tool will help speed up process of finding suitable vaccines, drugs
Vice-President M Venkaiah Naidu has called for fast-tracking of genome sequencing of new COVID-19 variants to identify the emergence of new variants and for speeding up the process of finding suitable vaccines and drugs. Genome sequencing, as an adjunctive tool, plays a critical role and will not only help in combating the spread of the virus, but also in timely interventions, he said, while addressing scientists and scholars at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology (CCMB) LaCONES - Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species on Friday. Mr. Naidu stressed the need for strengthening international collaborations by research institutions to study the feasibility of developing a universal vaccine to neutralise various SARS-CoV-2 variants. In this context, he appealed to the people to shed vaccine hesitancy and reiterated that vaccines made in India are “safe and effective”, therefore “everyone should get vaccinated and encourage others to do so too”.More Related News