IDNEWSNOW.COM, Jakarta – A spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said the Omicron variant contributed 4.25 percent of the nation’s total caseload. Since it was first detected on December 16, 2021, the number of cases has continued to increase to 1,766 as of January 26, 2022.
Wiku outlined, in the same period, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in the country reached 41,549. “This means the Omicron variant detected so far has contributed 4.25 percent of the total positive cases in Indonesia,” he said at a press conference, Thursday, January 27.
Cases of the variant of concern, he added, were discovered through the whole-genome sequencing test from the existing positive case samples. Thus, the number might not represent the actual number of cases.
Wiku said the government is determined to extend the coverage of whole-genome sequencing in order to detect the variant more broadly in the community. Most of the variant cases spread in Indonesia came from international travelers, amounting to 1,019 or 63 percent of the total cases.
To date, Indonesia also recorded two deaths from the Omicron variant. However, Wiku said that most Omicron patients were asymptomatic and presented mild symptoms. “Only 1 percent shows severe symptoms,” he added.
Read: Covid-19 Case Surge; Task Force Requests Regions to Monitor Health Protocols
MAYA AYU PUSPITASARI
