Health
COVID: 'Very Dangerous', highly transmissible variant that replicates quickly found in Vietnam
A 'very dangerous' strain of the coronavirus has been discovered in Vietnam—a combination of strains discovered in India and the United Kingdom.
Vietnam Minister of Health of Nguyen Thana stated in a meeting on May 29 that scientists have discovered the new strain during genetic sequencing of patients recently infected with the coronavirus.
He added that the new species looks more contagious and can spread more easily than other species.
"Vietnam has discovered a new type of COVID-19 that combines the types of mutations discovered in India and the United Kingdom," he said.
The Vietnamese health minister said: "It's a strain discovered in India that has mutations in strains found in the UK, so this new strain is very dangerous."
Laboratory research has shown that this new species is capable of spreading very quickly.
He said that this can be the reason to why there has been a sudden increase in cases of coronavirus in Vietnam recently.
Keep in mind that minor genetic changes in the coronavirus are common, resulting in new strains.
Though small genetic changes to the COVID-19 virus are common, the World Health Organization (WHO) has flagged four virus variants that remain of international concern. Among those include B117, or the variant first detected in the U.K., along with B16172, the variant first found in India.
The other two strains were first identified in South Africa and Brazil.
Scientists have discovered that these variants are 50% more contagious than others discovered in Britain and India.
Dr Maria Van Kirkov, head of the World Health Organization's COVID-19 team, said, "We have not yet analyzed the new species discovered in Vietnam."
However, he said, "We expect more types to emerge as the virus spreads through evolutionary stages and that is why the scope for sequestration is increasing worldwide."
He added that the global body needs to analyze each new type of virus first.
"Our staff in Vietnam is working with the Ministry of Health and we expect to get more details soon, after which we will be able to say something about it," he said.
"There may be an additional mutation in this new type B16172, but we will release the information when it comes to light," he said.
The Southeast Asian country has moved forward with a nationwide ban on all religious events after at least 85 people tested positive for the virus at a Protestant church in one city.
The nation has so far administered 2.9 million doses of COVID-19 vaccinations and is currently in talks with Moderna to receive enough shots to fully vaccine 80 per cent of the population.
Since the onset of the Corona epidemic in Vietnam, 6398 cases and 47 deaths have been recorded so far, however, more than 3,500 cases and 35 deaths have been reported in the last few weeks.