BANGKOK: Thailand has detected at least four potential cases of COVID-19 Omicron BA.2.2 sub-variant.
Director-general of the Medical Sciences Department, Dr. Supakit Sirilak, said the strain, first reported in Hong Kong, was found in one foreigner and three Thais.
However, it is pending further confirmation, he added.
Therefore, he urged the public to keep calm as the new strain is yet to be regarded as a variant of concern.
“At present, there is insufficient information to assess the severity or transmissibility of the strain accurately.
“It is too soon to conclude that BA.2.2 can spread faster or more serious than other variants,” he was quoted as saying by Thai PBS, here, today.
Yesterday, Public Health Commission vice chair Dr Chalermchai Boonyaleephan urged the government to screen arrivals from Britain and Hong Kong amid concern over the Omicron BA.2.2.
At present, Omicron is the dominant strain in Thailand, representing 99.6 per cent of all COVID-19 cases.
The Omicron variant is spreading four times faster than Delta and has mutated into three subvariants: BA.1, BA.2 and BA.3.
Over the last 24 hours, Thailand recorded 22,130 new COVID-19 cases and 69 deaths, bringing the total infections in the kingdom to 3,206,950 and 23,778 fatalities. - Bernama
