The West Bengal Health Department on Wednesday announced that it has decided to strengthen the surveillance throughout the state and to prepare a chart of such individuals with reports of people getting infected even after being administered two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.
A plan to conduct genome sequencing on such patients to find out whether if they have had any genetic change in the strain of the coronavirus is also being done in the department. According to the official, the decision to carry out such sequencing was taken keeping in mind warnings of experts about a possible third wave of the pandemic.
“The genome sequencing tests must be done on the people who are affected with the virus even after being fully vaccinated. The primary objective is to find out whether if the vaccine has worked against the virus or if it has mutated,” the official said, adding that sequencing would be done everywhere in the state.
Incidentally, the district administrations in the northern districts of the state, where a few of such cases have been reported, have decided to carry out such sequencing, he added.
Hence, keeping in mind that a large number of people from neighbouring states often enter Bengal through northern corridors therefore the department has warned the districts in the northern part of the state to be careful.
“There has been strict surveillance in the districts of north Bengal since it has several entries… from neighbouring states so that Covid protocols are properly followed. We need to be on high alert about the warnings of a possible third wave,” he added
