Ministry Of Health: No New Mutation Has Been Found For The COVID-19 Virus

JAKARTA - Director of Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) Imran Pambudi said that until now there has not been a new mutation of the COVID-19 virus, although transmission of the JN.1 variant has been found in Jakarta and Batam.

"Currently, according to our monitoring, there are no new virus mutations, during the pandemic despite the spike in deaths and cases, if there is a new adaptar, JN.1 is a derivative of Omicron," said Imran as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, December 19.

Imran also ensured that patients who were detected as infected with the JN.1 variant had received a second booster vaccine.

"The average vaccine history (patients) has twice, boosters, and for death, it has been confirmed earlier that it is not the people (who were infected with JN.1), because what I know is that almost all of them have comorbidities," he said.

Previously, the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, had confirmed that one case of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 variant of the JN.1 corona virus was found in South Jakarta on November 11, 2023, East Jakarta on November 23, 2023, and Batam on December 13, 2023.

Maxi also said that according to reports as of December 18, 2023, there were two deaths due to COVID-19, one each case at Dr. Mohammad Hoesin Palembang and Tarakan Hospital, Jakarta.

"One patient died and has been vaccinated twice and has comorbidities. The other has never been vaccinated and has a lung infection," said Maxi.

Regarding vaccines, Imran said to welcome Christmas and New Year, the Ministry of Health did not issue a policy to create vaccine centers again.

"Vaccines can ask for more at health facilities (health facilities), at the center there is no policy to make vaccine centers again, because there is no demand for vaccines, so friends at the puskesmas, rather than stuck but not used, then they don't ask," said Imran.

He also said that the current stock of vaccines is still safe.

"There are still 3.5 million doses of vaccine, it's just a matter of how it is implemented, and it's up to each health office in the regions to make another vaccine center or not," he said.

Until now, there is no obligation for public facilities to implement the One Sehat application, because it is feared that it will have implications for the community's economy.

"That's why it's related to emergencies, while the emergency has been lifted, so there is no shadow there, because it makes an emergency, there are many implications, people can't go, that's the economic impact it will be big too, until now we haven't had a policy there yet," he said.

However, Imran emphasized that the public should remain disciplined in implementing health protocols considering that mobility will increase during the Christmas and New Year periods.

The public is advised to continue to wear masks when traveling, wash their hands properly before entering the house or eat and drink, and limit mobility outside the home if it is deemed not very important.