One Omicron case could infect 40 people: Epidemiologist

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia (UI) Masdalina Pane noted that one case of COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant infection could spread to 10-40 people, thereby making it more infectious than the Delta variant.

"This Omicron variant could spread to 10-40 people, which is five times the transmission rate of the initial variants," she said during a virtual discussion titled "Stemming Omicron Transmission" here on Friday.

Pane remarked that one case from the initial variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could infect two to four people.

Meanwhile, the Alpha variant could infect four to six people, and the Delta could infect six to eight people.

For the first one to two months, the Omicron variant infection could still emerge in the productive group, she noted.

However, what becomes a matter of concern is when cases caused by Omicron increase fast, and this variant make its way into households where there are parents, people with comorbidity, and unvaccinated children, she cautioned.

"What we do not want is for the Omicron variant to infiltrate our home and threaten the elderly, people with comorbidity, and toddlers," she affirmed.

All parties must work together in preventing the Omicron variant from entering houses, so that case surge in the mid-2021 due to the Delta variant would not recur.

To this end, Pane urged to bolster the monitoring of the nation's entry points, continue the stringent implementation of health protocols, expand the scope of COVID-19 vaccination, and strengthen the 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment).

The first appearance of the Omicron variant in Indonesia was confirmed on December 16, 2021, by Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin.