Viet Nam detects COVID-19 variant combining Indian, British mutations

Viet Nam has uncovered a new COVID-19 variant combining characteristics of the two existing variants first found in India and the UK, the Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

The new variant is very dangerous, stressed Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long at a national online meeting on COVID-19 held in the morning.

This is the eight strain detected in Viet Nam since the Southeast Asian country confirmed the first COVID-19 patient on January 23, 2020.

Other variants include a strain from China’s Wuhan; D614G from Europe, B.1.1.7 from the UK; B.1.351 from South Africa; B.1617 from India; B.1619 from Africa; and B.1222.

Viet Nam is experiencing the fourth wave of COVID-19 resurgence with 3,643 community infection cases in 32 cities and provinces since April 27, 2021.

The current wave features with fast transmission rate due to concurrent emergence of multiple outbreaks especially at industrial parks and multiple variants while patients suffer from more severe symptoms, said Nguyen.

As of mid-Saturday, the national caseload reached 6,713, including 2,896 recoveries and 47 deaths./.