Still no timeline for variant detector

WESTERN BUREAU:

Six months after the Government announced that it was seeking to acquire a genome sequencer to test samples and determine variants of the coronavirus, the country is still no closer to knowing when the device will become available.

Pressed for a timeline during a tour of vaccination sites in St James on Wednesday, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Christopher Tufton said that procurement of the equipment was still a work in progress.

“I do not have the specific information now about the genome sequencer, but I do know that we are in the process of procuring it. I know that the process is being worked through with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has committed to providing the equipment, but I cannot tell you right now whether it will be next week or the week after,” said Tufton.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness expressed disappointment on Wednesday that the machine had not yet been acquired, citing bureaucratic procedures as hurdles.

Holness said that the technocrats were insisting that they carefully follow the procurement rules – a decision the Government could only endorse.

“There are those who hold the view that we need to do all that we need to do now because it is an emergency. What the technical people tell us who have to deal with these things is that after the emergency, they are the ones who will face the parliamentary committees, the public embarrassment, and possibly be prosecuted,” the prime minister said.

However, he urged the ministry to move as quickly as possible to acquire the critical machine.

During his contribution to the Budget Debate in March, Holness disclosed that Jamaica would procure the genome sequencer and associated accessories and reagents at a cost of $60 million.

Prior to the prime minister’s announcement, the Caribbean Public Health Agency began collaborating with the St Augustine Campus of The University of the West Indies last December to conduct whole-genome sequencing for CARICOM countries.

But with Jamaica having recorded 73,496 cases of COVID-19 since March 2020, and with five cases of the virus’ newest Mu strain recently identified in St Vincent, concern is growing about the health ministry’s capacity to assess the crisis and respond to evolving trends.

Tufton said that the ministry would be ramping up testing for samples for dispatch to three sites outside of Jamaica.

“Now that we know that there is the Mu variant in the Caribbean, and it is a variant of concern, then we will pay particular attention to ensuring that we not only test for Delta and the other variants, but also this particular one,” the health minister said.

“It is something we expect as new variants will emerge ... what we have to do is continue to monitor, and then we will pronounce it once we find evidence of it,” added Tufton.

The Mu variant, the fifth strain of the coronavirus to be identified by the World Health Organization since March, has been described as having mutations that might make it less susceptible to vaccines and immunity from natural infections.