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(CNN) -
Vietnam's Ministry of Health has detected a possible new coronavirus variant that it said appears to be a hybrid of two other highly transmissible variants.
"A new coronavirus variant with characteristics of existing Indian and UK variants was detected in Vietnam for the first time," Vietnam Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long said at a national press conference on Saturday.
The Southeast Asian country stood out as an example in containing the virus thanks to an aggressive strategy of early passenger detection at airports and a strict quarantine and monitoring program.
But since the end of April, Vietnam has reported a strong increase in covid-19 cases.
Nearly half of its 6,396 confirmed infections were reported in the past month, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
It is not clear whether the suspected new variant is behind the surge in infections.
If so, that might suggest that it is more transmittable.
Fourth wave in Vietnam
“The fourth wave of covid-19 in Vietnam included infections in industrial areas, multiple sources of infections and the presence of various variants of coronavirus.
It will spread very fast and it will be very difficult to control, ”said the Health Minister.
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The World Health Organization said Saturday that its Virus Evolution Task Force was collaborating with officials in Vietnam to confirm the possible new variant of the coronavirus after four people were reported to be infected with a possible new variant.
“We have not yet carried out an evaluation of the variant of the virus reported in Vietnam.
We hope that more variants will continue to be detected as the virus circulates and evolves and as sequencing capabilities improve around the world, ”said WHO Technical Head for Covid-19 Maria Van Kerkhove in a statement.
"From what we understand, the variant they detected is variant B.1,617.2 possibly with an additional mutation, however we will provide more information as soon as we receive it."
Variant B.1,617.2 was first detected in India, where officials have said that this and other variants have driven the increase in COVID-19 cases in the country.
Earlier this month, British health officials identified B.1,617.2 as a variant of concern due to its rapid spread in the UK.
Variants of interest and worrying variants of covid-19: this is what we know
New restrictions in Vietnam
On Sunday, the government announced social distancing restrictions for Ho Chi Minh City, the largest and most populous urban area in the country, according to the Reuters news agency.
The new measures, in effect for two weeks starting Monday, include the closure of non-essential services, such as shops and restaurants, and the suspension of religious activities.
Ho Chi Minh City has seen an increase in cases related to a religious mission that has recorded at least 125 positive tests, accounting for the majority of the city's infections, Reuters reported, citing a government statement.
Public gatherings of more than 10 people are also banned, and the city is considering cutting that number in half, according to Reuters.
Last week, Vietnam expanded lockdown measures in its industrialized north after the country experienced its biggest jump in COVID-19 cases, driven by clusters in manufacturing zones in Bac Ninh and Bac Giang provinces, Reuters reported.
The outbreak has spread to more than 30 of Vietnam's 63 cities and provinces, including the capital Hanoi, which has closed restaurants and banned public gatherings.
In a country of more than 96 million people, fewer than 30,000 (0.03%) have been vaccinated, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.
The Health Ministry is working to secure 10 million doses of vaccines under the Covax cost-sharing scheme, as well as another 20 million doses of the vaccine from Pfizer and 40 million from Russia's Sputnik V, according to Reuters.
Vietnam has received 2.9 million doses so far and aims to secure 150 million this year, Reuters reported.
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