Covid-19 variant from India continues to be found in Vietnam

Covid-19 patients carrying the virus variant B.1.617.2 which was first found in India have been reported in many localities in Vietnam.

Covid-19 patients carrying the virus variant B.1.617.2 which was first found in India have been reported in many localities in Vietnam.

  

Covid-19 variant from India continues to be found in Vietnam

The Ministry of Health has asked the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology to carry out the gene sequencing quickly for Covid-19 prevention.

The results on May 19 show that there were 29 samples with variant B.1.617.2 found in India including one sample from Hai Phong, two from Vinh Phuc, two from Bac Ninh, and nine from Bac Giang. There are 15 samples from Hanoi of which five are from K Hospital.

There are also two samples sent from Hai Duong with variant B.1.1.7 first found in the UK.

Variant B.1.617.2 continues to be found in more localities. It is also blamed as the source for the fast-spread of this outbreak.

On May 18, Dang Duc Anh, head of the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology said, "Variant B.1.617.2 has been found in many localities. It hasn't been detected in Ha Nam and Hai Duong provinces probably because it depends on the imported cases."

He went on to say that polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests can be used in high-risk areas and other places can use antigen tests or rapid tests. Regular tests should be carried out for at least 10% of the employees in industrial zones.