What is the new variant of the coronavirus detected in Vietnam and why is it so dangerous?

A new variant of the coronavirus, which appears to be a combination of strains identified in India and UK, was recently detected in Vietnam, according to health authorities in that country.

“This new Indian variant with mutations originally belonging to the British variant Is very dangerous“underlined the Vietnamese Minister of Health, Nguyen Thanh Long, cited by the agency Reuters.

Long claimed that the new hybrid variant is in fact more transmissible than previous versions, especially by air, and blamed him for “the new wave of infections” in the country, which began about a month ago, and which has so far recorded 3,595 new cases in 33 cities and provinces.

The minister explained that the variant was discovered after testing patients newly diagnosed with the virus, according to the online newspaper. VnExpress. And added that shortly, they will reveal the genetic code for the new variant.

If at the start of the pandemic in 2020, Vietnam was one of the countries that acted quickly and decisively by closing its borders, isolating and testing its population to stop the contagion, the vaccination campaign against Covid-19 progressing slowly.

Until just over 1% of the population received at least one of two doses of the vaccine. The authorities justified the delay in its acquisition due to supply problems on the international market

Sinopharm vaccines are up to 78% effective, a new study from a prestigious American journal.

By the percentage of its population vaccinated, the country ranks second among those in Southeast Asia, behind neighbors like Cambodia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, with similar resources to bid on markets.

The last days, Authorities have started massive testing among at-risk groups in Ho Chi Minh City and they introduced new social distancing measures to stop the increase in cases in this city that were linked to a Christian mission.

They also decided to close restaurants and bars and to halt religious events for the next 15 days.

With growing concern among the population over the strength of the fourth wave of the pandemic, the Vietnamese Minister of Health announced the country will try to acquire 150 million doses by the end of the year to vaccinate 75% of its population.