Omicron BA.2 sub-variant detected in 19 provinces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Omicron BA.2 sub-variant has been detected in 19 provinces in Indonesia, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito stated at an online press conference on Tuesday.

"No matter what the current condition is, our collective goal is to control positive cases and deaths to consistently reduce them," he noted during the Indonesia Press Conference for COVID-19 Handling Development.

According to data from GISAID on March 13, since the start of 2022, Indonesia is experiencing a rise in the number of Omicron BA.2 cases.

The sub-variant has been detected in 19 provinces and the total number of cases has reached 8,302 based on the genome sequencing examination.

Unfortunately, this occurs when the COVID-19 vaccination coverage is declining at the national level.

Hence, Adisasmito urged the people to immediately visit the nearest health facility to receive the complete dose and booster vaccination.

Meanwhile, he also urged the regional governments to expedite COVID-19 vaccination to realize herd immunity and keep people safe from the sub-variant.

Earlier, Health Ministry's spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi noted that the Omicron BA.2 sub-variant contributes to an increase in the number of patients in several countries.

"Several nations, whose infection rate we study and observe, such as Hong Kong, South Korea, and England, experience a rise in treatment cases due to a surge in the number of cases of the new Omicron variant, specifically the BA.2 sub-variant," she explained.

Indonesia is currently on alert for a potential spike in cases influenced by the BA.2 sub-variant, as the sub-variant has a high or fast transmission rate.

Its general symptom is similar to the BA.1 sub-variant that currently dominates the virus distribution pattern across Indonesia.

However, COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Indonesia were confirmed to still be effective in prevention against all sub-variants of Omicron.