Coronavirus variant B.1.617 that was firstly detected in India and caused the second wave of Covid-19 in this South Asian country has been found in the latest locally-transmitted cases in Vietnam.

An apartment block in Hanoi lockdown on May 4 after an Indian expert tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Photo: VNA

The National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology (NIHE) of Vietnam on May 4 said the Indian variant’s sublineage B.1.617.2 was reported on three samples of Covid-19 patients who are linked to some Chinese experts quarantined in the country.

Several days ago, Vietnam found the Indian variant on four Indian experts and one local person.

This is the result of the genomic sequencing conducted by local scientists.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the “double mutant” variant B.1.617.1 and B.1.617.2 were first identified in India in December 2020, and have been detected at increasing prevalence concurrent to the major upsurge observed in the country.

As of April 27, over 1,200 sequences have been uploaded to Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) and assigned to lineage B.1.617 (collectively) from at least 17 countries.

The Indian variant is believed to cause some 60% of the new cases in some parts of the South Asian country.

In the fresh outbreak of coronavirus that began on April 29, Vietnam also recorded lineage B.1.1.7 or “UK variant”, “Kent variant”, or “B117” that originated from the UK.