Bangkok builders found infected with Alpha-Delta combo

Health officials say a new hybrid of COVID-19 variants has been contracted by construction workers in Bangkok. 

Supakit Sirilak, director of the Medical Sciences Department, said yesterday that seven workers were found to be infected with a worrying combination of the Alpha and Delta variants, which were first detected in the United Kingdom and India, respectively.

At the construction site, which went unidentified by Supakit, an alarming 1,327 of 1,737 laborers tested positive in recent days for COVID-19. Of those, 53 were infected with Delta and 168 with Alpha. 

The combination of both is concerning because it could give rise to yet another mutation, he said.

“More cases of mixed variants like this could lead to a hybrid and eventually a new variant, which is an incident we don’t want to happen,” Supakit said.

While highly effective vaccines have been found…