The report which previously said there were 3 Thai nationals who tested positive for the Omicron variant on Friday has been updated to bring the total to 8 Thai nationals from two tour groups, tested positive for the Omicron coronavirus variant after returning from their annual “Umrah” pilgrimage to Makkah in Saudi Arabia.
According to Preeda Chueaphudee, adviser to Chularatchamontri, the country’s Muslim spiritual leader, about 30 Thai nationals arrived at Suvarnabhumi airport on December 15 from the Umrah pilgrimage.
After the doctor conducted the test, the results showed seven people were infected with the Omicron variant. While six were considered high risk because they had close contact with the positive patients. Mr. Preeda added that they are all quarantined in a hospital (hotel and hospital).
He said that while still in Saudi Arabia, the Umrah pilgrims who came from various provinces, including Nonthaburi and Ayutthaya, already developed symptoms such as fever. And before arriving at Suvarnabhumi airport, they had transited in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Kusak Kukiatkul, a doctor at the Phuket Public Health Office, reported that on December 13, tests carried out on another group of 137 Thais returning from a pilgrimage in Makkah detected five people positive for COVID-19.
After undergoing a five-day quarantine in Phuket, the five patients were categorized as green patients with mild or no symptoms. They were allowed to undergo treatment in hospitals in other southern provinces under close surveillance by health authorities.
A Pattani public health doctor, Anurak Sarahap, explained that the 137 Thai returnees had previously been tested for RT-OCR in Saudi Arabia before flying to Phuket, where they underwent further RT-PCR testing.
He also urged residents in Pattani not to panic about this positive case of Omicron, considering that the case is an imported case, not a local transmission. While currently, preventive measures against the virus are still being carried out.
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