Thailand detects first local cases of coronavirus variant first found in India

Thailand has detected its first 15 domestically transmitted cases of the highly infectious COVID-19 variant first found in India, the country's coronavirus taskforce said on Friday.

The 15 cases were discovered among construction workers in Bangkok. Those were among 3,481 new cases and 32 new deaths announced on Friday, bringing the total to 123,066 cases and 735 fatalities overall.

Earlier this week, Thailand began vaccinating Buddhist monks against the coronavirus this week, hoping to build up their protection to enable them to safely perform their spiritual duties.

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About 500 monks were inoculated in the capital, Bangkok, on Tuesday and Wednesday, to allow them to receive daily alms and do merit-making activities, as Thailand battles its third and most potent wave of infections.

After successfully thwarting earlier outbreaks, Thailand is dealing with a more stubborn wave that has seen overall cases nearly quadruple since early April, and deaths increase six-fold. Bangkok is the epicentre.

The country has yet to start its mass immunisation drive, with only about 1.5 million people getting a first dose so far, mostly front-line health workers or vulnerable groups.