Indonesia Detects New Omicron Sub-Variant BN.1

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Indonesia has detected first case of another form of the Omicron sub-variant BN.1 with no potential broad increase in this case, an official from the Health Ministry said on Thursday, Dec. 8.

“The first case of the new sub-variant BN.1 has been found in the country following the XBB.1 and BQ.1. All of them have been detected as they are the Omicron sub-variants,” Head of the ministry's communication and public service bureau Siti Nadia Tarmizi told a press conference at the ministry’s building.

Nadia said the ministry would first observe how this new sub-variant transmits.

So far, she added, several countries have yet announced a significant increase in the BN.1 cases. “We are aware of this BN.1 sub-variant. However, the increase was unlikely in many countries. So, we will keep monitoring its development,” said Nadia.

Also read: Covid-19 Transmission Under Control in Early December: Indonesias Health Minister

The BN.1 has shifted the infection of the previous sub-variants. This can be seen from a decrease in the daily cases of Covid-19. Before, we had to face about 8,000 cases daily.

"The Health Minister [Budi Gunadi Sadikin] always says that the new variant causes the increase in Covid-19 cases. We have passed the XBB sub-variant wave,” Nadia said.

The government continues to evaluate the implementation of the Covid-19 restrictions on public activities (PPKM), especially towards the Christmas and New Year holidays.

So far, the lowest level of the country’s four-tiered Covid-19 public activity restrictions has been implemented across the country in anticipation of people movement during the holiday season. The government has been intensifying booster shot and making it a travel requirement, she said.

Besides, she added, the government will continue to improve genomic surveillance although the number of Covid cases tends to decrease.

As of Wednesday, Dec. 7, the Covid-19 cases increased by 3,351 daily, bringing the total number of people infected to 6,689,532 since the first two cases were detected in March 2020.

(Writer: Fika Nurul Ulya | Editor: Novianti Setuningsih)

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2022/12/08/16162691/kemenkes-temukan-satu-kasus-omicron-bn1-di-indonesia?source=widgetML&engine=C.