After a surge in Covid-19 cases in Vietnam in the past month, a more transmissible Covid-19 variant was discovered in the country which is a combination of the strains first found in India and the UK.
Vietnam Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long described the virus as “very dangerous”, but the country has not disclosed the number of people affected by this strain.
Here’s all you need to know about the new variant found in Vietnam:
1. As this new variant is a combination of two existing variants that were first found in India and the UK, it has their characteristics, too.
2. The new variant is more transmissible than other existing variants of the Covid-19 virus as it spreads rapidly in the air.
3. In this variant, the virus’s concentration in throat fluid increases sooner and it spreads very strongly to the surroundings.
4. The authorities will soon announce the new variant, which is yet to be named, on the global genome map.
5. The laboratory cultures of this variant reported that the virus replicated itself very quickly which resulted in the surge of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam.
6. The four variants first found in India, South Africa, Brazil, B.1.167, and the UK are classified as "variants of global concern", by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Vietnam's new wave of infections comes after the country successfully contained the virus last year. Vietnam has recorded 3,595 local cases in a month. Most cases are registered from Bac Giang and Bac Ninh with 1,881 and 736 positive cases, respectively.