Bangkok, Dec 20 (Agency) Thailand’s Centre for Covid 19 Situation Administration (CCSA) on Monday reported the country’s first locally transmitted case of Omicron variant. The infection is a Thai female who contracted the virus from her pilot husband as he returned from Nigeria in late November. Both the husband and the wife had been fully vaccinated with the Covid 19 vaccine, according to the CCSA. This new confirmed local case came as the Thai government considered canceling the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme due to the rising number of Omicron cases among international arrivals.
So far, there are at least 63 confirmed Omicron cases in Thailand, with more cases awaiting confirmation. The public health ministry will propose the cancellation of a quarantine waiver for fully vaccinated visitors and revert to hotel quarantine or a “sandbox” model. Since reopening on November 1 under multiple entry schemes, Thailand has seen more than 150,000 international visitors, according to the official data. Returning to strict entry requirements and quarantine measures may have an impact on the tourism sector and the overall economic recovery. With 2,525 new Covid 19 cases reported on Monday, there have been 2,194,053 infections since the start of the pandemic, the cumulative deaths rose by 31 to 21,408. As of Sunday, Thailand has already administered over 99 million doses of vaccines, with roughly 62 per cent of its total population fully vaccinated. Thus far, around 7 percent of Thais have already received a booster dose.