The first case of the so-called Delta Plus coronavirus variant has been found in Thailand, according to the Public Health Ministry.
The discovery was reported by Chawetsan Namwat, director of the ministry's Health Hazard and Disease Control Division, during a regular press briefing on the pandemic.
Dr Chawetsan said the variant, also known as AY.4.2, was found in a 49-year-old man working in Ayutthaya's Bang Sai area last month. The man had no history of travel to risk areas or abroad, the director said.
It is the country's only case of the so-called Delta Plus variant, Dr Chawetsan added, noting the patient's samples were sent for genetic sequencing at the Armed Forces Research Institute Medical Sciences.
He said the patient has fully recovered from the virus, and no new cases had been found, adding random testing was carried out when the strain was first detected.
The ministry's Department of Medical Sciences will hold a press conference on the strain on Tuesday, Dr Chawetsan said.
"The concern about this variant is that it may be a little more contagious than the Delta variant," he said.
