Covid 19 new strain mutation in Thailand, Ho Chi Minh City records rapid increase in number of infections

In recent days, the return of the Covid 19 virus that once caused Vietnam to suffer has caused a stir on social media. Not only has the number of re-infections increased rapidly, information about a new strain that has just formed in Thailand has a stronger risk of infectio.n.

According to the Thai government's Covid-19 Information Center, the number of cases in the country has been on a sharp upward trend in recent weeks. The country recorded a total of 71,067 infections and 19 deaths from January 1 to May 14. Two major outbreaks were identified after the Songkran holiday. Experts believe the Omicron XEC variant is the main cause of the new wave of infections.

XEC is a new recombinant strain of the Omicron lineage, first discovered in Germany in June 2024. It is the result of crossbreeding between two subvariants KS.1.1 (FLiRT) and KP.3.3 (FLuQE), carrying many mutations that help the virus spread faster.

Data from the Ministry of Health shows that the frequency of XEC occurrence in Thailand increased in January and February. In response to this development, health officials have called on people to be more vigilant, actively monitor symptoms, wash their hands regularly, and wear masks in crowded places.

To date, more than 550 XEC genome sequences have been reported from 27 countries. Data from the US, UK and China show that XEC is 84-110% more transmissible than previous Omicron variants, accounting for 10-20% of new cases in some areas.

As of December 2024, XEC accounted for approximately 36.8% of reported viral genome sequences worldwide, with significant increases in regions such as Europe, the Americas, and the Western Pacific.

Initial studies suggest that XEC is more immune-evasive than some previous Omicron strains, due to specific mutations in the virus’s spike protein. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) says current Covid-19 vaccines are still effective in preventing severe disease and reducing the risk of deat.h.

Common symptoms of XEC infectio.n include: fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue, headache, body aches, nasal congestion, runny nose, loss of taste or smell, loss of appetite, diarrhe.a, and vomiting.

To prevent infectio.n, health officials recommend that people get enough vaccines and booster shots, wear masks in crowded places, wash their hands regularly, keep their distance, and self-isolate if they have suspicious symptoms.

The number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has increased over the past week, but no large outbreaks have been detected. The health sector recommends that people wear masks when going to public places.

On May 19, the Hanoi Center for Disease Control (CDC) said that the capital recorded 23 cases in the past week, one and a half times higher than the number of cases since the beginning of the year. Cumulatively from the beginning of 2025, the city has detected 37 cases, down from the same period in 2024 (637). Although the number of infected people has increased, the health sector has not recorded any outbreaks and has not issued any recommendations regarding this situation.

Four days ago, a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health also said that since the beginning of the year, the city has recorded 51 cases. Last week alone, Ho Chi Minh City detected 6 cases, an increase of 10 cases compared to the average of the previous 4 weeks. Compared to the same period last year, the total number of infections this year decreased by 83% and there were no cases requiring respiratory support.

Nationwide, the Ministry of Health said the number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam has increased slightly in the past three weeks, with an average of about 20 cases per week, with no severe cases.

Since the beginning of the year, Vietnam has recorded 148 cases scattered across 27 provinces and cities, with no deaths. Localities with many cases include Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Hanoi, Nghe An, Bac Ninh, Quang Ninh, Bac Giang, Binh Duong...

Not only Vietnam, in May, many Asian countries and territories such as Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia and Thailand recorded a significant increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. Experts believe that the reason for the sharp increase in Covid-19 cases in many Asian countries is the decline in community immunity, crowded contact during the holidays and the appearance of easily transmitted sub-variants.

COVID-19 resurgence: Vietnam has 20 cases per week, Thailand has 50,000 cases in half a month Bảo Yến07:21:04 15/05/2025The Ministry of Health has provided information on the Covid-19 epidemic situation after many Asian countries recorded the return of nCoV. Although there has not been a concentrated outbreak, the Ministry warned that the number of infections may continue to increase in the coming time due to the large number of exchanges and...