Vietnam on Saturday said it has discovered a new Covid-19 variant which is a combination of B.1.617.2 that emerged in India and the UK variant.
Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said that the new variant was detected after scientists examined the genetic makeup of the virus that had infected some recently infected patients.
“The characteristic of this strain is that it spreads quickly in the air. The concentration of virus in the throat fluid increases rapidly and spreads very strongly to the surrounding environment,” Long said on Sunday.
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Long furthered that the new variant could be responsible for a recent surge in the Southeast Asian country, Reuters reported.
The country has seen a recent surge in COVID-19 infections with 3,500 cases spread to 30 of the country’s 63 provinces.
Most of the cases were found in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces, areas known for dense industrial zones where thousands of Vietnamese work for international brands such as Samsung, Canon, and Luxshare, a partner in assembling Apple products.
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The fresh outbreaks have prompted the Vietnamese government to shut cafes, restaurants, hair salons, and massage parlours, including tourism and religious spots in various areas of the country.
The country has ramped up its rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to achieve herd immunity before end of the year.
Vietnam administered Covid-19 jabs to over a million of its 96 million population. (RA)
