Laos reports first Delta variant cases, patients had returned from Thailand

Laos has reported its first Covid-19 cases involving the rapid-spreading Delta variant of the virus. The patients who tested positive for the variant had returned to Laos from Thailand, according to the National Taskforce for Covid-19 Prevention and Control.

Since the mutated strain, which was first found in India, is the most transmissible Covid-19 variant identified, Laos health officials are stepping up and have asked the public to take precautions.

A spokesperson for the task force said workers returning from Thailand tested positive for the Delta variant in the Champassak province.

“We need to track Delta variant cases closely and carefully now that the first cases have been detected in Laos. If these people move from one place to another while carrying the virus, the risk of transmission is high.”

Since the start of the pandemic last year, the Laos government has recorded only 2,144 Covid-19 cases and 3 deaths. Cases spiked in April, with the wave peaking in May at just over 1,000 active cases. The Alpha variant, which was first found in the UK, is now the dominant strain in Laos.

In Thailand, there are concerns that the Delta variant could become the prevalent strain in Bangkok, and even send the country into a fourth wave of infections. The variant was first detected in April at a migrant worker cluster in the Laksi district. As of last week, Bangkok recorded more than 800 infections involving the Delta variant.

Total Covid-19 cases in Laos

SOURCE: The Star