Omicron Cases In Indonesia Reach 802 Cases, Most In Jakarta Derived From Overseas Travel

JAKARTA - The cases of the Omicron variant in Indonesia reached 802 cases, some of which came from overseas travelers (PPLN). Of the 537 cases in Jakarta, 435 cases came from PPLN.

"Therefore, we urge the public not to travel abroad for the next 2-3 weeks. We will continue to closely monitor the development of the case and will take the necessary anticipatory steps," said Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan in a written statement, Tuesday, January 11.

According to Luhut, treatment at the hospital will be one of the main indicators. The government will be vigilant when the bed occupancy (BOR) in hospitals approaches 20-30 percent.

"Based on observations from other countries' experiences, the peak of the Omicron variant reaches its peak in the range of 40 days, faster than the Delta variant. For the case of Indonesia, we estimate that the peak of the wave due to the Omicron will occur in early February. Most of the cases that occur are expected to have mild symptoms, so that later the strategy will also be different from the Delta variant," said Luhut.

According to him, Indonesia is now much more prepared to face the potential wave of the Omicron variant. Vaccination rates are already higher, testing and tracing capacity is also much higher.

"Our health system is also better prepared, both in terms of medicines (including molnupiravir from Merck), hospital beds, health workers, oxygen, and centralized isolation facilities," Luhut continued.