BANGKOK, May 23 — 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 confirmed with the African variant known as B.1.351.

Director-general of Disease Control Department Dr Opas Karnkawinpong said the man was visited by family members — his Malaysian wife, son and mother-in-law — who crossed natural 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.

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“The South African variant detected in Thailand is similar to those found in Malaysia.

“Following movement restriction in the sub district from May 9 to 22, the situation is under control. No new infection reported,” he said at Covid-19 daily briefing here today.

Opas said said health authorities found 698 high-risk close contact and 81 were tested positive for Covid-19.

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He said active case detection was conducted among 160 individuals in the community and two were tested positive.

“A total of 83 patients tested positive from this cluster and three have been found with South African variant.

“They have no severe symptoms. They are treated at hospital where 16 patients 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 ‘bubble and seal’ was imposed at construction site in Lak Si district of Bangkok after more than 1,100 construction workers were tested positive Covid-19.

“With movement restriction, we hope to contain the outbreak in construction worker camps,” he said. — Bernama