Delta variant warning

Elderly people and those with underlying illnesses wait in their wheelchairs for their turn to be vaccinated on Wednesday. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)
Elderly people and those with underlying illnesses wait in their wheelchairs for their turn to be vaccinated on Wednesday. (Photo: Arnun Chonmahatrakool)

The Delta variant of Covid-19 first identified in India may become a dominant strain in the country during the next two to three months.

The warning was issued by Medical Sciences Department (MSD)'s Supakit Sirirak.

Dr Supakit said the MSD was concerned over an increased number of infections with the Delta variant of Covid-19, saying 137 more Covid-19 patients with this variant have been detected this week in nine more provinces, except in the South.

Since testing for this variant began earlier this month, a total of 496 Covid-19 patients with this variant were found in 20 provinces. Bangkok alone had 404 cases, he said.

Dr Supakit said the Alpha variant of Covid-19 first identified in the United Kingdom was still the country's major variant, with 89.6% of all infections.

"We see that there is a sign of increasing infections with the new variant (Delta) that is now under the globe's top concerns due to its 40% faster rate of infections, compared with the Alpha variant," he said.

Dr Supakit went on to say that most infected people were workers living in construction site camps, where the first Delta variant case was detected in the country. These people moved from one place to another while carrying the virus.

Apart from construction site camps, he said, the MSD detected 10 Covid-19 patients with this Delta variant at three hospitals in Bangkok.

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Vocabulary

  • camp: a place where athletes (boxers, footballers, etc.) train, or workers live - ค่าย
  • concern: a worry - ความกังวล
  • detected: noticed, discovered or found out - จับได้ พบได้
  • dominant: more powerful or important than all others - เหนือกว่า
  • issue (verb): to officially announce - ออกประกาศ
  • major: very large or important - สำคัญมาก
  • strain: a particular type of virus, animal, insect, or plant  - สายพันธุ์
  • variant: a thing that is a slightly different form or type of something else - สิ่งที่ผันแปร, สิ่งที่แตกต่างกัน
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