Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi: The Increase In Omicron Will Be Higher Than The Delta Variant

JAKARTA - Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, said the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 could be higher than the Delta variant.

"We also want to convey to the public that the increase in Omicron transmission will be much higher than Delta", Budi said in a press conference that was broadcast online on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, January 10.

However, the Minister of Health asked the public not to panic. According to him, many patients with this variant do not need to be hospitalized.

In fact, Budi explained that of the 414 positive cases of the Omicron variant in the country, only two people needed oxygen treatment. They also have comorbid disease on average.

"That is in the moderate category, meaning that only two people need oxygen treatment. One is 58 years old and the other is 47 years old. Both have comorbidities", said the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

In addition, of the 414 people who tested positive, 114 people or around 26 percent had recovered and were able to return home. "So the conclusion is that although the Omicron is fast in transmission, it is relatively lighter than the severity", explained Budi.

Seeing this condition, he then said that several steps will be taken by the government in dealing with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 patients. One of them is by focusing treatment at home for them rather than in the hospital.

Moreover, most patients with this variant do not experience severe symptoms so they can be treated at home.

Minister of Health Budi emphasized that the Ministry of Health had also conducted research to determine which symptoms of Omicron patients received treatment at the hospital.

In addition, the government has also collaborated with 17 telemedicine platforms to treat patients with the Omicron variant who do not need to be hospitalized.

"This is to ensure that people who have to be treated at home can still get access for medical consultations and can also get access for drug delivery", he said.

The Minister of Health also reminded the public not to panic. According to Budi, the government has received 400,000 antiviral drugs of the type Molnupiravir from Merck.

"We will face this wave from the Omicron. Don't panic, we have prepared well and experience shows that even though it rises fast, this Omicron wave goes down quickly", he said.

"So the most important thing is not to forget to maintain health procedures, be disciplined in conducting surveillance, and most importantly speed up vaccinations for our colleagues and our families who have not yet received vaccinations", concluded Budi.