A new variant of Covid-19 that is a hybrid of the infectious Alpha and Delta strains has been identified in Asia.
Vietnam’s Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said the new mutation appeared to be more infectious than other types detected in the country.
The Alpha and Delta variants, first detected in the UK and India, respectively, are highly infectious but have not yet shown the ability to evade vaccines, one of the biggest fears of scientists battling the pandemic.
“We have discovered a new hybrid variant from the Indian and the UK strains,” he said.
“The characteristic of this strain is that it spreads quickly in the air. The concentration of virus in the throat fluid increases rapidly and spreads very strongly to the surrounding environment.”
Most cases of the new strain were found in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, provinces with industrial zones where hundreds of thousands of people work for major companies such as Samsung and Canon.
In the country’s largest city, Ho Chi Minh City, home to nine million people, at least 85 have tested positive as part of a cluster at a church, the Health Ministry said.
Worshippers sang and chanted while sitting close together without wearing masks or taking other safety precautions.
Vietnam has since ordered a nationwide ban on all religious events, and major cities have banned large gatherings and closed public parks and non-essential businesses.
Authorities have told cafes, restaurants and hair salons, as well as tourism spots, to close.
The new variant could be responsible for a recent surge in cases, with Covid-19 spreading to 30 of the country’s 63 municipalities and provinces, Mr Nguyen said.
Vietnam was previously considered a success story in battling the virus.
On May 1, its caseload since the start of the pandemic was 2,942, with 35 deaths. But in the past few weeks, the country has reported more than 3,500 new cases and 12 more deaths.
Vietnam, which has a population of 97 million, has vaccinated about a million people against Covid-19.
Authorities are now enhancing its immunisation programme and hope the country will achieve herd immunity by the end of the year, Mr Nguyen said.
