Team Herald
PANJIM: Goa will get a genome sequencing machine free of cost under the United States Agency for International Development (USAUD), international programme dealing with epidemic control and is likely to be operational by mid-February.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane on Thursday announced that the State will get its first genome sequencing machine, funded by the USAID’s Reaching Impact Saturation and Epidemic Control (RISE) programme-India Project.
The project was launched in Goa on Thursday.
“Under this programme, they (USAID) have decided to give us a genome sequencing machine. It would be operationalised by mid-February (next year),” the Minister announced.
Rane said, “The international agency will support the Goa government for a year with their kits and other infrastructure needed to operate the device.”
“We have signed an agreement with them for two years on overall cooperation in the health sector,” he said. Currently, Goa does not have any genome sequencing facility and swab samples related to coronavirus cases are sent to Pune.
Rane further said that the US agency will also advice the government on aspects like oxygen management, critical care for paediatric and adult patients.
