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Vietnam detects hybrid of UK and Indian virus variants

29 May 2021 13:25 (UTC +04:00)

Vietnam health minister Nguyen Thanh Long said on Saturday the country has detected a new variant of the coronavirus, which is a mix of the India and UK Covid-19 variants and spreads quickly by air, according to online newspaper VnExpress, APA reports citing The Guardian.

Vietnam’s latest coronavirus wave, which began about a month ago, has seen 3,595 local Covid-19 cases so far in 33 cities and provinces.

He said the coronavirus responsible for the new wave is much more transmissible, especially in the air. Viral cultures in the laboratory revealed that the virus replicated itself very quickly, he added, explaining why there are so many new cases in different locations in a shorter time frame.

So far, Vietnam has recorded the presence of seven coronavirus variants, including ones from the UK, India and South Africa.