BANGKOK: Thailand has recorded its first two Omicron XBB subvariant cases, but those infected had recovered.
Director-general of the Medical Sciences Department (MSD) Dr Supakit Sirilak said the two women with mild symptoms were discharged from hospital after completing their quarantine.
He said the first is a 49-year-old Thai woman who arrived from Singapore and was admitted to a private hospital after developed Covid-19 symptoms on September 27.
The other was a 60-year-old foreigner arriving from Hong Kong who was admitted to a private hospital in Bangkok after testing positive for Covid-19 via self-test kit on September 28.
He added that both completed quarantine and have been discharged from hospital.
"There is no cause for panic. There is no severe cases linked to the XBB strain so far," he said at a press conference today.
He added that lab tests later confirmed the patients were infected with XBB subvariant.
The XBB, a highly transmissible Omicron subvariant was first detected in Singapore and the United States in August.
The XBB subvariant became a cause for concern for health authorities in Thailand after three people from Thailand tested positive in Hong Kong last week.
Health authorities stepped up checks at airports on passengers with respiratory symptoms from Hong Kong and Singapore.
Media reported that the XBB subvariant has been driving a significant surge in Covid-19 cases in Singapore.
Meanwhile, Dr Supakit said Thailand also detected its first two BF.7 case - a 16-year-old teenage boy and 62-year-old medical professional.
He said the patients did not develop severe symptoms. – BERNAMA