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High number of Covid-19 infections in Vietnam from Delta strain

THE highly infectious Delta strain has been identified as the one responsible for the high number of Covid-19 community infections in Vietnam.

Phan Trong Lan, head of Ho Chi Minh City Pasteur Institute, said because of the Delta strain, the southern region of the country had recorded many cases that reported Covid-19 symptoms or tested positive just one day after coming into contact with an infected person,

Previously an infected person could transmit the virus to between two and four others but the new strains that made them more virulent.

The Alpha strain that appeared earlier this year, can infect up to seven while the Delta variant is said to be up to 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant.

According to a report in the Vn Express, gene sequencing results showed the Delta variant was dominant especially among cases recorded in central and southern localities, including Ho Chi Minh City.

"It is still uncertain whether the Delta variant causes more severe Covid-19 symptoms, though the increased number of cases has caused the healthcare system to overload, which can lead to a higher mortality rate," Lan said.

In the fourth Covid-19 wave that broke out in Vietnam in late April, the Delta strain was first detected in northern Yen Bai province before spreading to the epicenter Bac Giang province, also in the north.

Currently, more than 15,200 cases have been recorded in 52 out of 63 cities and provinces.

Le Quoc Hung, head of the Tropical Diseases Department at Cho Ray, a leading hospital in southern Vietnam, said when a new coronavirus strain struck, there will be groups experiencing different infections rates.

Specifically, the group with higher virulence will see early symptoms, allowing early detection of Covid-19 patients for early isolation and treatment.

But those with lower virulence often sees none, or only mild symptoms, which impedes detection.

This results in community infections and gives the virus an opportunity to spread and multiply, he added.

Nguyen Tri Dung, director of the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control, said after transmissions over many generations, the new strain would either mutate and increase its virulence or stay the same and see its virulence decrease.

He however warned that though infections may decrease, the virus could quietly spread throughout the community without anyone knowing it due to its asymptomatic nature in some people.

Nguyen Huy Nga, former head of the General Department of Preventive Medicine under the Ministry of Health, said this made the outbreak more complex to handle with about 80 per cent of patients showing no symptoms or only mild ones.

Even if patients were to recover, the virus would already have been transmitted, Nga said.

"Therefore, it is necessary to track down all community infections, but given the ongoing situation, it seems impossible."

Ho Chi Minh City has accounted for the second most community infections in the country in the current outbreak.

City health authorities have also started a mass testing programme to test as many as five million people.

Social distancing measures have also been enforced to curb the spread of infection.

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