During the weekend in Vietnam it was Identified a new type of Coronavirus Which has some characteristics of variants that have already been identified in India and the United Kingdom that seem to make the virus more easily transmissible. The new cases were found within an outbreak identified in Ho Chi Minh, the country’s most populous city, as authorities announced a mass testing campaign and tightened restrictions to contain the spread of infection.

Vietnamese Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on Saturday He said That the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology has identified the variable in at least four patients who have contracted the COVID-19 virus. Le Thi Quynh Mai, director of the institute, determined that the substitute had not yet been registered and did not have a name yet.

After the discovery of the new alternative, the Prime Minister of Vietnam, Pham Minh Chinh, announced the launch of a mass testing campaign for the residents of Ho Chi Minh City, whose metropolitan area has a population of about 13 million. On top of that, starting Monday May 31, they were New rules were introduced On physical distancing throughout the city for a period of 15 days: shops and restaurants will be closed and religious activities suspended, as well as all public events with more than 10 participants.

Most of the 125 new infections identified in Ho Chi Minh City, including those related to the new variant, have been detected among believers who frequent a Christian community in the city: People who live near the community have already been tested and are currently present. Stone.

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At the beginning of the epidemic, when very few cases were found in the country, the Vietnamese authorities They acted quickly and decisively To limit the spread of infection: The first person who died from causes related to COVID-19 has been officially recorded At the end of July. But in recent weeks, the epidemic has started to spread again, raising the total number of infections Almost 7 thousand And deaths from causes related to COVID-19 to 47.

The vaccination campaign is progressing slowly, and according to official data, one million people have received at least one dose of the Coronavirus vaccine: about 1% of Vietnam’s population, which has a population of about 96 million.