COVID-19 Variant Centaurus Alias BA.2.75 Found In Bali, Patient Had Just Returned From Australia

DENPASAR - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) reported a new case of COVID-19 subvariant Centaurus aka BA.2.75, which was originally found in India. This variant of COVID-19 already exists in Jakarta and Bali.

In Bali, the case was detected in one Indonesian citizen (WNI) who traveled abroad from Australia.

The Regional Secretary (Sekda) and the Daily Chair of the Bali Province COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Dewa Made Indra, said that currently, most patients on the island of Bali are asymptomatic because the patient's immune system is already strong. Meanwhile, the booster vaccination achievement is already above 70 percent.

However, the Bali Health Office did not explain how the Indonesian citizen was exposed to the centaur variant.

"No one has gotten sick. This is a positive impact from vaccination, so we could be infected but we have been vaccinated, let alone a booster so the effect on health is (not significant). Because, in our bodies, we already have (immune) that must continue we will do it. This virus will continue to grow," he said at the Bali Regional Representative Council (DPRD) office, Monday, July 18.

Previously reported, President Joko Widodo and related ministers discussed the new variant of COVID-19 BA.2.75 which has now entered Indonesia at the Limited Meeting on Evaluation of the Implementation of Restrictions on Community Activities (PPKM) at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

"We also updated to the President that there is a new subvariant called BA.2.75, which is circulating in India and has entered 15 countries, and this has entered Indonesia," said Health Minister (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin as reported by ANTARA, Monday, July 18.

Budi said that the BA.2.75 variant in Indonesia has currently detected two cases, the first in Bali due to arrivals from abroad and the second in Jakarta, which is thought to be due to local transmission, and the source is being sought.

Nevertheless, Minister of Health Budi conveyed that in general, from the level of transmission based on WHO standards, Indonesia is still at level 1. Only DKI Jakarta is at level 3 and Banten is at level 2.