Two Omicron XBB cases have been found in Thailand, but both patients have already recovered, according to Dr. Supakit Sirilak, director-general of the Medical Sciences Department.
The first case is a 60-year-old foreign woman, who came from Hong Kong. She fell ill and was admitted to a private hospital in Bangkok for treatment. Her condition was not serious and she was discharged after completion of the quarantine period.
The second case is a 49-year-old Thai man, who arrived in Bangkok from Singapore. He was admitted to the same private hospital after developing mild symptoms and has already been discharged.
Dr. Supakit said that, from October 8th to 14th, the Medical Sciences Department analysed 128 specimens of COVID-19 and identified 126 of them as being the Omicron BA.4/BA.5 sub-variants and two cases of the BA.2 sub-variant.
He said that the Omicron variant has mutated into many sub-variants, with some capable of transmitting 2-3 times faster than the original, but that there is no cause for panic because the symptoms of the Omicron sub-variants are not serious.
For instance, for the BF.7 sub-variant, which is widely detected in lab analyses and is easily transmissible, Dr.Supakit said that the first BF.7 case was found in a 16-year-old boy who did not travel abroad. He was first tested as being infected with Omicron BA.5, but this was later reclassified as BF.7 by GISAID.
The second case is a 62-year-old medical professional, but it is known where she was infected, he said, adding that both cases were not serious.
