Vietnam detects new nCoV strain transmitted from UK

The nCoV strain that this patient was infected with also has the D614G mutation, which was the fast-spreading strain 4-5 months ago, according to the Ministry of Health.

This is the first time Vietnam has recorded a case of infection with the new nCoV strain from the UK. Last week, Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long, in a meeting of the National Steering Committee for Covid-19 Prevention and Control, announced that Vietnam had sequenced the genes of all nCoV samples from the country and the region so far, at that time.No new strain of nCoV has been detected from the UK yet.

"Patient 1435", female, born in 1976, from Tra Vinh, returned to Vietnam from the UK on December 22, 2020 on flight VN50, entered Can Tho airport, and was quarantined immediately in Tra Vinh. There were 305 passengers on the same flight, of which 147 were quarantined in Tra Vinh province, 137 were quarantined in Vinh Long, 17 were quarantined in Can Tho city, and 4 were quarantined in Ho Chi Minh city.

Localities have taken samples and conducted the first test, detecting 6 infected cases including patients 1429 to 1432 (quarantined in Vinh Long), patients 1434 and 1435 (quarantined in Tra Vinh). Immediately after that, the Pasteur Institute of Ho Chi Minh City evaluated, classified and sequenced the gene. The results recorded that "patient 1435" was infected with the nCoV strain - variant VOC 202012/01.

Illustration photo.

This patient has a history of high blood pressure for 10 years and is currently being treated well. Before returning to Vietnam, her health was stable. After entering the country and being quarantined for a day, she had symptoms of sore throat and mild fever. Her sample was taken and sent to the Pasteur Institute in Ho Chi Minh City for testing, which confirmed her positive on December 24.

The patient is currently being treated at the Tra Vinh Provincial Tuberculosis and Lung Hospital with a diagnosis of acute tonsillitis. Clinical symptoms gradually decreased from December 24 to December 30. On December 31, the patient had a mild cough, no sore throat, no fever, no difficulty breathing, and an X-ray showed a heterogeneous hazy lesion at the base of both lungs. The patient was monitored for pneumonia.

The patient's husband is in the UK and tested himself, and the result was also positive for nCoV.

nCoV variantwas discovered in early September in Kent, southeast England. The new strain accounted for a quarter of infections in London in November, rising to two-thirds of all infections in December. According to scientists,new variantnCoV is 70% more contagious than before.

Many countries have now recorded the appearance of a super-infectious mutated strain of nCoV. More than 50 countries have blocked travel from the UK to prevent infection.