Thailand’s Department of Medical Sciences (DMS) has reported that about 32% of COVID-19 cases across the country in the past week have been linked to the Delta variant, with most being diagnosed in Bangkok and surrounding provinces.
DMS Director-General Dr. Supakit Sirilak said the Delta variant accounts for 52% of COVID-19 patients in Bangkok and is found in every district, but mostly in northern area. The strain has also already been found in 47 provinces, including those in the southern region. The growth of the prevalence of the Delta variant in the country is slightly faster than predicted.
He said the number of infections linked to the Beta variant rose by 50 cases in the past week. The strain is still mostly limited to the southern province of Narathiwat, even though Beta infections have been confirmed in Surat Thani, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Krabi. Two additional Beta variant infections were reported in Bangkok, but they are contacts of the patients in Narathiwat.
Meanwhile, Dr. Yong Poovorawan, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University, said that the Delta (first detected in India) variant will soon replace the Alpha (found most in UK) variant as the predominant strain in Thailand. A study is needed to find out what regimens will trigger stronger immune responses, as virus mutations continue. (NNT)
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