Thailand Detects 1st Omicron Variant In US Citizen Who Travelled To Spain
While it is unsure as to how transmissible the Omicron variant is, more countries are starting to detect and report cases of the variant day by day.
Thailand has detected its first case of the Omicron variant in a US citizen who travelled from Spain in late November.
In a news conference, Opas Karnkawinpong, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control confirmed the man arrived in Thailand last Monday (29 Nov).
This case makes Thailand the 47th country to detect the new Omicron variant.
Thailand detects 1st Omicron variant case
On Monday (6 Dec), Thailand confirmed it has detected its first case of the Omicron variant, reported Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
The virus was found in a 35-year-old man, a US citizen who lived in Spain for a year and arrived in Thailand on 29 Nov. Mr Karnkawinpong added the patient displayed mild symptoms.
Since the case was detected, health authorities have been conducting further tests of people who came into contact with the man.
However, all contacts have been at low risk so far, CNA stated.
Thailand has banned travellers from 8 African countries
Since the start of December, Thailand has banned travellers from 8 southern African countries — Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe.
This is in light of the Omicron variant spreading there.
Mr Karnkawinpong also mentioned authorities had limited travel from other African countries.
Additionally, they will monitor for more potential cases among international travellers.
Worrying to see Omicron case detected
It is definitely worrying to see Omicron cases being detected in so many countries.
Thankfully, those who came in contact with the man were at low risk of getting the virus.
Additionally, cases appear to be mild and no deaths have been reported so far. Regardless, it’s concerning that the Omicron variant may be more transmissible.
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