BANGKOK – Thailand has detected its locally-transmitted South African COVID-19 variant with the index case being a 32-year-old Thai businessman from Tak Bai, Narathiwat, who was visited by family members from a neighbouring state in Malaysia.
He was tested positive on May 4, and was later confirmed to be infected with the variant known as B.1.351.
Dr Opas Karnkawinpong of the Disease Control Department said the man was visited by family members – his Malaysian wife, son and mother-in-law – who crossed national borders into the kingdom from Malaysia. All of them skipped mandatory quarantine.
He said all of them stayed in the kingdom from April 12 to May 4 and had travelled back to Malaysia.
“The South African variant detected in Thailand is similar to those found in Malaysia.
“Following movement restrictions in the sub-district from May 9 to 22, the situation is under control. No new infection reported,” he said at a daily Covid-19 briefing here yesterday.
Opas said health authorities found 698 high-risk close contacts and 81 tested positive for Covid-19.
He said active case detection was conducted among 160 individuals in the community and two tested positive.
“A total of 83 patients tested positive from this cluster and three have been found with the South African variant.
“They have no severe symptoms. They are receiving treatment, 16 patients have already recovered and discharged while 67 remain hospitalised,” he said.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand reported 3,382 new Covid-19 cases including 460 inmates, and 17 deaths, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 129,500 and 776 fatalities.
Meanwhile, Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said a ‘bubble and seal’ was imposed at a construction site in the Lak Si district of Bangkok after more than 1,100 construction workers tested positive Covid-19.
“With movement restrictions, we hope to contain the outbreak in construction worker camps,” he said. – Bernama, May 24, 2021
