Scientists in Vietnam examined the genetic makeup of the virus that had infected recent patients and found the new variant, according to health minister Nguyen Thanh Long. 'We have discovered a new hybrid variant from the Indian and the UK strains,' Long told a national meeting on the pandemic on Saturday, according to state media. The health minister said the new variant could be responsible for a recent surge in Covid cases across Vietnam, which has now spread to 30 of the country's 63 municipalities and provinces. There were seven known coronavirus variants in Vietnam before Long's announcement, according to the Ministry of Health. The strain was first detected in Thailand in a 33-year-old Egyptian traveller, UK health authorities said, but 109 cases have since been found in Britain.

Source: Daily Mail May 29, 2021 16:19 UTC