A top Indian virologist Shahid Jameel has resigned from the post of chairman of a forum of scientific advisers set up by the Centre to detect variants of COVID19 in India. Earlier, the seniorvirologist had criticized the authority’s handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The forum is known as Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genome Sequencing Consortia (INSACOG). It was set up by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government last year for laboratory and epidemiologicalsurveillance of circulating strains of Covid19 in the country.
On his resignation, Dr. Jameel said, “It’s correct and I shall have nothing more to say.” Dr, Jameel further denied giving a reason for his decision and said, “Iam not obliged to give a reason.”
Recently, Dr. Shahid Jameel had written a piece in The New York Times in which he claimed that scientists in India are facing a ‘stubborn response to evidence-based policymaking. Healso had pointed out issues with India’s Covid19 handling like lower testing, slow vaccination, vaccine shortage and the need for a bigger healthcare workforce.
He wrote, “All of these measures have wide support among my fellow scientist in India. But they are facing stubborn resistance to evidence-based policymaking.”
Not only this but earlier in March, INSACOG had warned the government of a new and more contagious variant of the coronavirus taking hold in the country. However, the government did notrespond more forcefully to the findings. On this, Dr. Jameel shared that he was concerned that authorities were not paying enough attention to the evidence as they set policy.
The variant, B.1.617, is one of the reasons for this concerning Covid spike in India. The Covid surge has infected many and has already killed thousands.