Vietnam has detected its first imported case of the new coronavirus variant that is spreading rapidly around Britain, the health ministry said on Saturday. The variant was detected in a 44-year-old woman returning to Vietnam from Britain, who was quarantined upon arrival and was confirmed positive for the virus on 24 December, the ministry said in a statement. "Researchers ran gene-sequencing on the patient's sample and found the strain is a variant known as "VOC 202012/01"", it said. The variant includes a genetic mutation that, in theory, could result in the virus spreading more easily between people. With strict quarantine and tracking measures, Vietnam quickly contained coronavirus outbreaks, allowing economic activity to rebound faster than in much of Asia.

Source: News 24 January 02, 2021 06:22 UTC