[Updated at 12:01 p.m. on Thursday, Dec 16, 2021, to add chart and new details about five other Omicrom probable cases]
Jakarta The government has revealed on Thursday that the Omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus had been identified in Indonesia, being the latest country to find the most transmissible Covid-19 version.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that a person of the three cleansing workers at Wisma Atlet Kemayoran– a government-sponsored athlete town, developed into a quarantine and seclusion facility for Covid-19 patients and abroad travelers in Jakarta– tested favorable for Omicron following gene sequencing tests.
” Last night, Dec 15, 2015, the Ministry of Health found out that patient N was a validated Omicron variant patient,” Budi stated in an interview on Thursday, identifying the patient by their initial.
Patient N is a cleaner at Wisma Atlet, Budi said. The client and his colleagues took a PCR test on Dec 8 as part of periodic screenings at the facility. Later, the Ministry of Health provided their samples to its lab for genome sequencing.
” We received samples on Dec 10, there were three cleaning employees who were positive, but one was positive for omicron,” Budi said.
The World Health Company (WHO) said Omnicron was spreading out at an unprecedented rate worldwide, reaching 77 countries given that first spotted in South Africa in November. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated on Wednesday that it was more than likely present in numerous other nations where it had not yet been identified.
Tedros warned that countries might be underprepared to fight the variant.
” Definitely, we have found out by now that we underestimate this infection at our danger. Even if Omicron does cause less serious disease, the sheer number of cases might as soon as again overwhelm unprepared health systems,” he stated.
Studies suggested Omnicron can leave existing vaccines or natural caused resistance, increasing the risk of reinfection among the population.
Tedros stated nations need to begin offering booster vaccine doses to the most susceptible groups like the elderly and the frontline and health employees. Indonesia has actually been providing booster shots to the medical workers in the previous few months and will start providing the shots to a wider population next year.
Five More Probable Omicron Cases
Budi stated client N had no previous history of abroad travel, suggesting they got infected by the Omicron variation from other patients or abroad travelers quarantined at the center.
The client and his 2 other coworkers were asymptomatic and had recovered from Covid-19
” They are healthy, have no fever, and no cough. Three of them had been checked by PCR once again […] three days later, and the test was unfavorable,” Budi said.
Budi Gunadi Sadikin likewise revealed five other likely Omicron cases, including two Indonesian people who had actually just recently returned from the United States and the UK. Both are isolated at Wisma Atlet.
The other 3 were immigrants from China, presently staying in an isolation facility in Manado, North Sulawesi.
” The genome sequencing for the 5 is still continuous. We anticipated to get the result in the next 3 days,” Budi stated.
He asked the public not to stress and panic and appealed to the public to minimize non-urgent overseas journeys. The ministry data showed that despite the Omicron arrival, Indonesia’s variety of active cases has continued to decrease in the past two weeks.
” Omicron’s hospitalization rate is indeed lower Delta’s, but we still have to be watchful. The federal government will prepare the facilities, starting from healthcare facilities, ambulances to the medical workers,” he said.
