Indonesia Detects New XBB Covid Variant: Health Minister

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia has detected a new Omicron subvariant, known as XBB, spreading rapidly in Singapore, a top health official said.

The new XBB Covid variant hit neighboring Singapore, reaching 6,000 cases per day.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said Indonesia is closely monitoring the development of the XBB Covid variant.

“The daily cases in Singapore are rising again to 6,000 due to the spreading new Omicron subvariant called XBB, which is also detected in Indonesia. We continue to monitor its development,” said Budi during a webinar on Friday, Oct. 21.

The minister called on the public to remain calm because Indonesia has a proven surveillance system to handle the spread of Covid-19.

Also read: Jokowi Launches Indonesia’s First Homegrown Covid-19 Vaccine

The slope of Covid-19 cases is flattening from July to August despite new variants.
“We are lucky because our vaccination programs are very good. About 440 million doses have been administered to more than 204 million people, so our immunity is good. Also, our health protocol is relatively good as people still wear masks,” said Budi.

As of Oct. 20, the government has recorded 6,464,962 confirmed cases, with 6,287,663 recoveries and 158,380 deaths. Some 18,919 patients are still receiving treatments.

The Covid-19 level 1-4 restrictions on public activities (PPKM) have been extended to Nov. 1 in Java and Bali and to Jan. 1, 2023, outside Java and Bali.

(Writer: Singgih Wiryono | Editor: Bagus Santosa)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/10/21/17145751/menkes-sebut-subvarian-baru-omicron-xbb-covid-19-sudah-masuk-indonesia.