Indonesia Identifies First Locally Transmitted Covid-19 Omicron Case

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia detected the first case of locally transmitted Covid-19 omicron variant, bringing the total number of people with the variant in the country to 47.

“A case of locally transmitted omicron variant has been found in Indonesia, bringing the total number of people with the variant to 47. The 46 others are imported cases,” a spokesperson for the Health Ministry’s National Vaccination Program Siti Nadia Tarmizi told a virtual press conference on Tuesday, Dec. 28.

She explained that the 37-year-old man had no recent history of international travel or contacts with any international traveler. The patient, who visits Jakarta once a month, lives with his wife in the Indonesian city of Medan on Sumatera island.

Also read: Indonesia Detects First Case of Omicron Variant

He arrived in Jakarta on Dec. 6 and had visited a restaurant in Jakarta’s central business district on Dec. 17. Two days after, he tested positive for the omicron variant as he had the antigen test before returning to Medan.

“He had also done PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests on Dec. 20 and the results on Dec. 26 confirmed that he had tested positive for omicron variant,” Nadia said.

But, the patient’s wife had tested negative for Omicron.

Also read: New PCR Test Equipment to Detect Omicron Variant in Less Than 6 Hours Provided: Indonesian Minister

The patient was brought to a Jakarta hospital for isolation, while the relevant authorities from the health agency and the tourism agency had coordinated to conduct contact tracing.
“Some people will also be conducting PCR tests,” she said.

According to previous studies, the omicron variant is more contagious than previous variants. Researchers from Switzerland predict that the omicron variant is 500 percent more contagious. The experts called on the public to recognize the symptoms and how to prevent them.

(Writer: Fitria Chusna Farisa | Editor: Sabrina Asril)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/12/28/11440221/kemenkes-umumkan-1-kasus-omicron-di-indonesia-transmisi-lokal.