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Fifteen cases of the Covid-19 variant from India were found at a construction-worker camp in Lak Si, Bangkok, the Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA) said on Friday.
The variant is known to be more contagious, and led to Thailand banning arrivals from India since late April, and later from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal. It was not clear how the variant entered the country.
“Fifteen workers have tested positive for the Indian variant or B1.617.2 variant and they are now being treated at a hospital,” said Dr Taweesin Visanuyothin, the CCSA’s spokesman.
He said medical and investigative teams from the Department of Disease Control are now on-site.
He did not provide any further details and said that more information on the case will be given by the Ministry of Public Health later.
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration said on Wednesday that they have conducted proactive tests on 3,671 people at the Italian-Thai Development’s construction-worker camp in Lak Si, which found 1,107 cases.
The CCSA said on Thursday that construction-worker camps in Bangkok were being closely monitored for possible clusters.
There are 409 construction worker camps across the 50 districts of Bangkok, housing 62,169 people. Of those, 26,134 are Thais and 36,035 are migrant workers, mostly from neighbouring countries, it said.
Of the 35 currently active clusters in 23 districts of Bangkok, six were found at construction-worker camps.
Bangkok
The CCSA reported 3,481 confirmed cases and 32 related deaths in the past 24 hours.
Of that, 1,644 were found at medical facilities, 874 via proactive tests at known clusters, 951 via proactive tests at prisons and 12 imported cases.
Of the 2,518 local cases (excluding the cases in prisons) that were found in the past 24 hours, the highest numbers by province were 1,036 in Bangkok followed by 457 in Samut Prakan, 163 in Nonthaburi, 162 in Pathum Thani and 127 in Chonburi.
Bangkok has been the hardest-hit province in the third wave, which started at entertainment venues in the capital and surrounding provinces since April 1.
Of the 94,203 cases that were found in the third wave, the highest numbers by province were 31,571 in Bangkok followed by 5,149 in Nonthaburi, 5,000 in Samut Prakan, 4,018 in Chiang Mai and 3,999 in Chonburi.
Of the 35 active clusters in Bangkok, most cases are now being found in Khlong Toei, Ratchathewi, Pathum Wan, Bang Rak, Pom Prap Sattru Phai, Lak Si and Din Daeng where 6.3 people out of 1,000 population in these districts are infected.