MANILA – To speed up genomic sequencing, efforts are underway to equip the Philippine Genome Center (PCG) in Visayas based at the University of the Philippine Visayas in Miag-ao, Iloilo.
But patience is needed, according to Dr. Eva Maria Dela Paz, director for health programs at PCG here.
“We need to procure equipment and reagents from other countries,” Dela Paz said.
Genomic sequencing is a technique that allows researchers to decipher the genetic information found in the DNA and will provide scientific proof whether new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), are now present in an area.
This knowledge will guide local officials in adjusting measures to preempt virus transmission.
The delayed Aug. 15 detection of the country’s first Lambda variant of SARS-CoV-2 in Valladolid, Negros Occidental promoted calls for faster genomic sequencing.
The case was a 35-year-old unvaccinated pregnant woman with no travel history. She tested positive for COVID-19 in July yet and was already deemed fully recovered when her specimen was sequenced last week.
Dela Paz said they have proposed at least P100 million to the national government to expand genome sequencing capacity in Visayas and Mindanao.
At present, the PGC is doing genomic sequencing of specimens of selected COVID-19 patients at its laboratory in Manila.
With the threat of various variants of SARS-CoV-2, especially the more contagious “Delta”, local officials in Region 6 urged the national government to establish a genomic sequencing unit in the region.
The current procedure of forwarding specimens to Manila is “time consuming,” they claimed, and “defeats the goal” of immediately identifying the variants.
“There is a critical need for prompt recognition of the variants circulating in the community to allow proper planning and intervention,” the officials emphasized in a petition dated July 28.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, meanwhile, assured the PGC that their request for additional fund will be included in the 2022 national budget.
“Alam naman natin ang kahalagahan ng PGC sa ating genomic sequencing kaya siguradong mapag-uusapan ‘yang request nila,” Roque said./PN
