Jakarta – Epidemiologist from Andalas University, Padang, West Sumatra, Defriman Djafri has gotten in touch with the federal government to intensify screening, testing, tracing and analysis of whole genome series (WGS) to reduce the spread of COVID-19 Omicron variant in the nation.
” This strategy is to guarantee that we can identify quickly, and the identified cases must be strictly quarantined, on account that the Omicron variant can spread faster than other variants,” Djafri said when gotten in touch with by ANTARA here on Sunday.
Omicron, which is consisted of as a variation of concern (VOC), he continued, needs serious handling to remove it.
Djafri also asked the general public to continue stringent application of health procedures in their daily lives, by always wearing masks, preserving distance, and cleaning hands, along with restricting non-essential travel.
” Rigorous application of health procedures is presently the cheapest and most reliable solution to contain transmission,” he said.
Djafri added that the public should not be irresponsible in carrying out health protocols even though they have actually been vaccinated against COVID-19
” Despite the fact that people have actually been vaccinated, people need to not be ignorant and feel they are immune to the infection by not using masks or implementing health protocols that they have executed up until now to minimize the danger of transmission,” he said.
The Health Ministry previously reported that two of Omicron’s verified COVID-19 patients had passed away.
These 2 cases are the first fatalities in Indonesia due to Omicron, a brand-new variation with a relatively high transmission rate.
” One patient who was affected by local transmission passed away at the Sari Asih Ciputat Health center and another one who was a foreign tourist, he passed away at the Sulianti Saroso Medical facility,” stated the Health Ministry spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi.
Since December 15, 1,161 cases of Omicron infection have been reported in Indonesia.
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