KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 6 (KUNA) -- The health authorities in Thailand revealed on Monday the first case of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, was from a US citizen who arrived in Bangkok from Spain on November 29.
The confirmed case makes Thailand the 47th country in which Omicron has been detected, Director General of the Department of Disease Control in Thailand Opas Karnkawinpong said in a virtual press conference.
"This first confirmed case of Omicron variant is a 35-year-old man who is a U.S. citizen who lived in Spain for a year," he said, adding that the patient had mild symptoms.
Health authorities are conducting more tests for people who had contact with the man, he said, stating that all contacts so far are at a low level of risk.
Thailand banned entry to travelers from eight African countries, including Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, since the beginning of December over concerns about Omicron.
The total number of cases of COVID-19 in Thailand reached 2.1 million, while the death toll was 20,966 deaths since the outbreak.
Data from the Thai Ministry of Health showed that more than 57 percent of the population received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccines. (end) aab.lr