HCM CITY – The SARS-CoV-2 variant found in patients at the Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City is A.23.1, which was first found in the African country of Rwanda in late October 2020, according to a report by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases on genetic analysis of the virus.

Scientists said it was highly likely that the patients, who were confirmed on February 8, caught the virus from one source.

Besides Rwanda, the variant has been found in a few other countries, including the US, the United Arab Emirates, Australia and some countries in Europe such as the UK and Denmark. However, no abnormal developments have been reported in those countries.

The scientists also confirmed that the SARS-CoV-2 variant found in the patients at Tân Sơn Nhất International Airport was not the one found in the UK with high infection speed or the one detected in South Africa. VNA