The UK strain of coronavirus has been found in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Lviv as part of the joint monitoring of SARS-CoV-2 new strains circulation conducted by JSC Farmak, L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases with the participation of the Public Health Center (PHC).
Interfax-Ukraine was informed that representative sampling was based on PCR test system developed by Farmak. The samples were taken from different regions of Ukraine and analysed using NGS (Next generation sequencing).
“As a result, the UK strain of SARS-CoV-2 has been found in samples received from Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro and Lviv. Today, bioinformatic analysis of the results is ongoing to study other virus mutations in the samples which are unique for Ukraine,” the Company’s representative said.
A number of samples have been taken in children hospitalized with pneumonia in Kharkiv Regional Children’s Clinical Hospital.
As reported, in early March, a team of Ukrainian researchers, including scientists of JSC Farmak and L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases, presented their own PCR test detecting even new strains of Sars-CoV-2.
The quality of the new test system has been confirmed by the relevant conclusions of L.V. Gromashevsky Institute of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases of the Academy of Medical Science of Ukraine (Kyiv) and Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and Immunology of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (Kharkiv). Reference tests of the PCR system are underway in private and public laboratories of Ukraine (Kharkiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Vinnytsia), thus confirming its efficacy.
The new test system is reported to be already available for pre-order. Farmak is a member of Association “Manufacturers of Medications of Ukraine” (AMMU).
