Thailand has confirmed its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a health official said on Monday.
A US citizen who traveled to Thailand from Spain late last month was confirmed to have the new variant, according to a media release.
Thailand is now the 47th country to have detected the new variant.
Opas Karnkawinpong, Director-General of the Department of Disease Control, said during a press conference that the 35-year-old man had mild symptoms and that health authorities were conducting further tests of those who had had contact with the man.
Thailand has already barred entry to travelers arriving from eight African countries amid concerns about the new Omicron variant.
Meanwhile, Laos remains on high alert for the new variant, urging residents to take extra precautions against Covid-19, saying that the variant could appear in the population at any time.
Laos has also issued a travel ban against nationals from several African countries as of 2 December due to concerns over the Omicron Covid-19 variant, according to Vientiane Times.
Affected countries include Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
Officials may reportedly amend restrictions on short notice in the coming weeks as new cases of the Covid-19 variant emerge in other locations.
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