Thailand confirms first local cases of coronavirus variant
Associated PressBANGKOK — Thailand has confirmed its first local cases of the coronavirus variant first detected in the U.K., raising the likelihood that it is facing a new wave of the pandemic, a senior doctor said Wednesday. The variant was found in blood samples from 24 people in a new cluster of cases involving customers of nightlife venues in the capital, Bangkok, said Dr. Yong Pooworavan, a virologist from the Faculty of Medicine at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University. Next week Thais celebrate the traditional Songkran New Year’s holiday, which usually sees an exodus of people from cities to visit relatives in other provinces and is generally celebrated for an entire week. The government’s Center for COVID-19 Situation Administration announced Wednesday that it had confirmed 334 new coronavirus cases, bringing Thailand’s total to 29,905 including 95 deaths.