COVID-19: Delta Variant Now Dominant Strain In Thailand

By Linda Khoo Hui Li BANGKOK, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- The Delta variant has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Thailand, accounting for more than 90 per cent of new infections in the kingdom last week. However, there is no Lambada variant detected in Thailand to date. Director-General of Medical Sciences Department Dr Supakit Sirilak said the Delta variant, which was first identified in India, has spread to 76 of 77 provinces in Thailand. Suphan Buri in the central region is the only province yet to see the contagious variant. He said the Delta variant, at least 40 more infectious than the Alpha variant first detected in United Kingdom, accounted for more than 92 per cent of new infections in Bangkok, the epicentre of the latest outbreak. “To date, there is no sign of the Lambda variant which was first identified in South America,” he said. Dr Supakit said the health officials had successfully contained the Beta variant, first identified in South Africa, in the four Southern provinces – Narathiwat, Yala, Pattani and Songkhla as well as in Bueng Kan and Bangkok. Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 21,038 new COVID-19 cases and 207 fatalities, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 816,989 and 6,795 deaths, to date. Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) spokesman Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin said of the new cases, a total of 21,019 were local transmissions and 19 imported cases. He said the new fatalities involved 112 men and 95 women aged between 21 and 93 years including five Myanmar nationals and one Indian, Cambodian and Pakistani. ‘Deaths reported in 41 of 77 provinces. Bangkok topped the list with the highest number of cases at 4,525 and 60 fatalities,” he said during the COVID-19 daily briefing here Wednesday. -- BERNAMA