Vietnam detects a suspected new coronavirus variant that is a hybrid of the UK and India strains

“A new coronavirus variant with characteristics from the existing Indian and UK variants had been detected in Vietnam for the first time,” Vietnam’s Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long told a national news conference Saturday.

The Southeast Asian country was held up as a leading example in containing the virus thanks to an aggressive strategy of early screening of passengers at airports and a strict quarantine and monitoring program.

But since late April, Vietnam has reported a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases. Almost half its 6,396 confirmed infections were reported in the past month alone, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

It is not clear if the suspected new variant is behind the sudden rise in infections. If it is, it could suggest it is more transmissible.

“The fourth wave of Covid-19 in Vietnam included infections in industrial zones, multiple sources of infections and the presence of various coronavirus variants. It will spread very fast and it will be very difficult…

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