A new variant of Covid-19 discovered in Vietnam originated from the existing Delta variant, formerly referred to as the Indian variant. 

The World Health Organisation confirmed the discovery and the origin of the strain today.

"A new coronavirus variant with characteristics from the existing Indian and UK variants had been detected in Vietnam for the first time," Vietnam's Minister of Health Nguyen Thanh Long told a national news conference Saturday.

Since April, Vietnam has reported a sharp increase in Covid-19 cases.

Almost half its 6,396 confirmed infections were reported in the past month alone, according to Johns Hopkins University data.

More to follow