Thread by @epigiri

INSACOG researchers first detected B.1.617, which is now known as the Indian variant of the virus, as early as February, Ajay Parida, director of the state-run Institute of Life Sciences and a member of INSACOG, told Reuters.

reuters.com/world/asia-pac…
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INSACOG shared its findings with the health ministry’s @Director_NCDC before March 10, warning that infections could quickly increase in parts of the country. The findings were then passed on to the Indian health ministry, this person said.
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INSACOG's initial draft media statement for the health ministry included that the new Indian variant had two significant mutations, and it had been traced in 15% to 20% of samples from Maharashtra, India's worst-affected state.
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The ministry made the findings public about two weeks later, on March 24, when it issued a statement to the media that did not include the words "high concern."
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"Policy has to be based on evidence and not the other way around, I am worried that science was not taken into account to drive policy. I know where my jurisdiction stops. As scientists we provide the evidence, policymaking is the job of the government.”- Dr Shaheed Jameel
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"It was highlighted very, very clearly that unless drastic measures are taken now, it will be too late to prevent the mortality which we are going to see," said Singh, referring to a meeting which took place on April 18

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“We could have done better, our science could have been given more significance,” “What we observed in whatever little way, that should have been used better. "the country’s scientific community was dejected."
-Rakesh Mishra, director of the @ccmb_csir of INSACOG
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While I am relieved that my intuition was not misplaced, it is disheartening to note that the country failed to restrict the variant to few areas.

https://twitter.com/epigiri/status/1362043463043149826?s=20