Made-in-Vietnam test kit detects different coronavirus variants
	UK, Indian variants found in Vietnam’s latest Covid-19 hot spot
	Covid-19 in India: Warnings of virus mutations that can "evade immune response"

Samples are taken for the new coronavirus testing in Hanoi, May 3, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

B.1.222 variant was discovered after the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases conducted gene sequencing of sample from a Covid-infected Ukrainian expert who was put under quarantine upon entering Vietnam, Nhan Dan Newspaper reported.

Head of Department of Microbiology - Molecular Biology under the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases Van Dinh Trang said B.1.222 variant has been detected in 11 countries, mainly in Scotland, the UK. This strain has many mutations on spike protein which is different from the Indian strain B.1.617.2.

Meanwhile, B.1.619 strain has spike protein similar to Indian strain B.1.617.2. Nevertheless, it does not carry mutations at the amino acid position 681 (P681R) on the spike protein like the Indian strain B.1.617.2. B.1.619 strain has been found in many countries and possibly originates from Cameroon in Africa and spread to Europe.

A medical staff tests samples for Covid-19 in Hanoi, March 31, 2021. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

B.1.619 strain was discovered after the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases carried out gene sequencing of sample from Covid-infected Indian experts who were put under quarantine upon entering Vietnam.

Dr. Trang added that a Covid-19 case, an employee of a hotel in Yen Bai Province where Indian experts were quarantined, contracted SARS-CoV-2 with B.1.617.2 variant.

B.1.222 and B.1.619 strains haven’t been found in 200 samples that have been sequenced to date, Dr. Trang said.

B.1.617.2 variant is one of three subtypes of B.1.617 and contains two important mutations on the spike protein, namely L452R and P681R. B.1.617.2 strain is identified to trigger the current wave of community transmission in Vietnam. The World Health Organization on May 11 classified B.1.617 as a variant of concern.

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