The SARS-CoV-2 virus

The virus in Hai Duong is similar to the one causing Covid-19 in the central city of Da Nang, where the second coronavirus wave in Vietnam began several weeks ago, said an official from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

The decoded gene belongs to patient No. 867, a 63-year-old man who had three positive COVID-19 Realtime RT-PCR tests at a hospital in Hanoi.

This is the first Covid-19 case in Hai Duong. After that, four other cases, patients No. 906, 907, 908 and 950, were detected in Hai Duong. Four of the five cases are related to a restaurant at No. 36 Ngo Quyen Street in Hai Duong City. One of the new cases, a 72-year-old man, is patient No. 867’s in-law.

Hai Duong province has identified 621 F1 cases related to the restaurant No. 36 Ngo Quyen, with 526 people tested by August 15. The remaining samples are expected to be completed today. All F1 cases are quarantined at a dormitory at Hai Duong University.

Thr F0 case in Hai Duong has not been identified yet, which is problematic, said the Ministry of Health.

Prof. Nguyen Van Kinh, President of the Vietnam Association of Infectious Diseases, said the strain of SARS-CoV-2 causing the Covid-19 outbreak in Da Nang belongs to the D614G mutation (G strain), which is common in Africa and Bangladesh.

This is a strain that can lead to a high transmission rate of the virus. The rate of infection in the current outbreak in Da Nang is 5-6 (wherein 1 Covid-19 patient can infect 5-6 others) compared to 1.8- 2.2 rate in the first coronavirus wave. The D614G mutation spreads rapidly but the virulence does not change.

Professor Kinh added that the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates often. At least 99 strains have been isolated around the world. Six strains have been discovered in Vietnam, all of which are different from the original virus strains in Wuhan, China.

Thuy Hanh

Hai Duong city on the first day of social distancing

From August 14, Hai Duong city has implemented lockdown measures to prevent the spread of Covid-19 epidemic. VietNamNet took some pictures of the cty on the first day of lockdowns.

Lockdown measures imposed in Hai Duong city

Hai Duong's police set up checkpoints last night to isolate the whole city after five Covid-19 cases have been detected here since August 7.