4 nCoV variants have appeared in Vietnam

Covid-19 first appeared on December 31, 2019, in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China. The first patients were all traders at the Huanan Seafood Market. The disease is caused by a completely new strain of coronavirus, called nCoV, before being named SARS-COV2 by the World Health Organization.

After that, nCoV quickly spread to many countries around the world. The virus has RNA genetic code, easily mutates and creates new strains from the original strain. The most recent are the new strains from the UK and from South Africa, which are said to be 70% more transmissible than the known strains, currently raging around the world. The strain from Rwanda is less common, and there is currently not much information about it.

Variant from UK

On the morning of January 2, the Ministry of Health announced the caseFirstlyThe person infected with the UK variant in Vietnam is "patient 1435". The 45-year-old woman, from Tra Vinh, entered the country from the UK on December 22, 2020.

The patient was simultaneously infected with the UK variant strain of nCoV VOC 202012/01 and the D614G mutation, another variant of the original Wuhan strain of nCoV. Health officials confirmed that this case had no possibility of spreading in the community because he was quarantined immediately upon entry.

British variantFirst detected in Kent, southeast England, in September 2020, including many variants. According to scientists, the new variant of nCoV has the ability to transmit 70% faster and stronger than previous strains, and there is no basis to show higher virulence at the time of research.

The epidemic from the end of January until nowHai Duong and Quang Ninh, the source of infection is unknown but is due to the UK variant of nCoV, Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long affirmed at the Government's online meeting with 63 provinces and cities on the socio-economic situation in January, on the morning of February 2.

Dr. Nguyen Trung Cap, Deputy Director of the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases, said the new variant is transmitted through the air, including through aerosols and through droplets. When the droplets dry, they become droplets that fly in the air.

Through monitoring the disease progression of 165 Covid-19 patients at Field Hospital No. 1 in Chi Linh city, Hai Duong, Dr. Cap commented that "it seems" the UK variant is causingearlier lung damagecompared to the previous period.

According to Dr. Le Quoc Hung, Head of the Department of Tropical Diseases, Cho Ray Hospital, new research shows that the UK variant is about 30% more virulent and 70% more infectious than the old strain. "The northern provinces are in the cold season, which will lead to the virus's ability to survive in the environment longer than in the hot weather in the Central region," said Dr. Hung.

In Ho Chi Minh City, "Patient 1660", 28 years old, from Hai Duong after beinggene sequencingat the Hospital for Tropical Diseases also tested positive for the UK variant.

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology announced on the morning of January 31 the results of gene sequencing of "patient 1442", 25 years old, South African nationality, infected with the new nCoV variant from South Africa. This isfirst caseinfected with the South African strain in our country. This patient was quarantined immediately upon entry.

The South African variant (501.V2 or B.1.351) was first detected in the Nelson Mandela Bay area in October. Some studies indicate it had been circulating since August, spreading throughout the region, including Cape Town, a popular tourist destination. The variant has rapidly spread across Africa, being found in at least 24 countries outside the continent.

World scientists evaluate nCoV variant in South Africaworryingthan the nCoV variant from the UK because it spreads quickly and can evade vaccines.

Rwanda variant, Africa

On January 12, Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) announced the resultsgene sequencingnasopharyngeal swab samplePatient 1979" and two patients in the loading and unloading team at Tan Son Nhat airport showed to belong to the A.23.1 strain in Rwanda, Africa.

The study was conducted by the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases in collaboration with the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU).

Through analysis, the three patient's genomes have a similarity of over 99.95%. Thus, the cluster of infections including "patient 1979" and the patients in the loading team most likely originated from the same source.

This variant is the first in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. HCDC confirmed that this strain is not the UK variant causing an epidemic in Hai Duong and Quang Ninh; nor is it the South African strain.

The nCoV strain belonging to the A.23.1 group was first detected in Rwanda, Africa around the third weekend of October 2020. Apart from Rwanda, A.23.1 has only been detected in a few other countries in the world, including the US, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, the UK, and Denmark. However, there have been no signs of unusual developments in these countries.

Besides,outbreak in Da Nang,started in late July, the World Health Organization (WHO) said,nCoV variant discovered in Da Nangsimilar to strains circulating in many countries.

At that time, the most widespread nCoV mutation in the world was calledD614G. This variant is not considered new, commonly known as type G, and has appeared sporadically in samples of people infected with nCoV since the outbreak began in Wuhan until February 2020. However, when it entered the US and European countries, type G increased rapidly.

Analysis in late July 2020 showed that the D614G strain was present in more than 70% of confirmed cases worldwide, nearly 100% in Europe. This mutation of nCoV spreads strongly, with unchanged toxicity.

As of February 12, Vietnam recorded 2,140 cases of nCoV infection. Of these, 1,528 people have recovered, 35 have died. 573 people are being treated, including patients related to the outbreak originating from Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, Tan Son Nhat airport and imported cases.