Vietnam To Test 9 Million Residents; The New Variant Is Causing Concern: Know All About It

Amid new concerns in the second wave and preparations for the third, Vietnam plans to test all 9 million people in its largest city for the coronavirus and imposed more restrictions on Monday to deal with a growing COVID-19 outbreak. This after the country discovered a new variant of COVID-19 ¨C a hybrid of strains found in India and the United Kingdom. The variants found in India and UK were classified by the World Health Organisation as ¡°variants of global concern¡±.

AP

What are the fresh curbs imposed in Ho Chi Minh?

People in Ho Chi Minh city are only allowed to leave home for necessary activities and public gatherings of more than 10 people are banned, the government announced. Prior to the order, the city, also Vietnam's economic hub, shut down non-essential business last Thursday when cases started to increase.

State newspaper Vietnam News said the city authority is planning to test its entire population with a testing capacity of 1,00,000 samples a day. The newspaper also said police had filed a case on Sunday against the head of a Protestant church mission for ¡°spreading dangerous infectious diseases¡± citing poor health protocols applied at the premises.

AFP

Has the new variant led to recent surge?

At least 145 cases of coronavirus infection have been reported with links to the church, and Go Vap district, where the church is based, has been locked down. Vietnam has since ordered a nationwide ban on all religious events. The newspaper said church followers gathered in small space for singing and chanting without proper distancing and mask wearing.

Some recent patients in Vietnam were infected with a hybrid of the virus variants first found in India and the UK, the health minister said. Nguyen Thanh Long said the hybrid might spread more easily and could be responsible for Vietnam's recent surge.

AFP

But, how does the variant spread? Who is at risk? Here¡¯s everything we know so far.

Why is it causing concern?

• The Vietnam government has said that lab cultures show that the strain can replicate itself very quickly.
• The new variant spreads rapidly through the air and is more easily transmissible than the ones previously discovered.
• The virus concentration in the throat increases quickly and spreads strongly into the surrounding environment.

Who is at risk?

• Elderly individuals and those with comorbidities are still a high-risk group for this variant.
• However, since the new variant is more infectious, it could cause more fatalities in unvaccinated people, the country has warned.

AFP

How has it affected Vietnam?

• Vietnam reported a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases over the last month.
• Almost half of its 6,396 confirmed infections were reported in April alone, according to Johns Hopkins University data.
• The new variant has reportedly been found in at least 30 of Vietnam¡¯s 63 municipalities, reported PTI.