Two Cases Of COVID-19 B117 British Variants And Potential Pandemic To Be Endemic: Our Current Situation
JAKARTA - Two cases of the B117 coronavirus in Indonesia are the government's new focus. The COVID-19 variant from England emerged when vaccinations began. There are also many studies that say COVID-19 will soon become endemic. How to understand this situation?
The spokesperson of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19, Wiku Adisasmito, said the government responded to the two cases of the B117 coronavirus in many ways. The government immediately tightened its doors for foreign arrivals and intensified other procedures.
"Including the procedures for quarantine, isolation, and treatment in a holistic and relational manner," said Wiku.
The B117 coronavirus entered through two female Indonesian workers with the initials M and A. Both are residents of Karawang, West Java. They just returned from Saudi Arabia using a Qatar Airways plane.
The arrival of the two migrant workers to Indonesia used different planes even though they both landed at Soekarno Hatta Airport. M landed on January 28, 2021, while A landed on January 31, 2021.
A swab test procedure was then performed on both of them. The results are positive. Whole-genome sequencing tests showed both of them were exposed to a new variant of coronavirus from England. The authorities then determined isolation for the two of them in Jakarta.
In the latest news, Friday, March 5, West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil stated that M and A had been negative. Even so, both of them are still undergoing independent isolation. Regarding the tracing process of these two cases, Ridwan Kamil has not been able to confirm.
"We (West Java Provincial Government) are still not sure (not to infect). So we are doing additional isolation," said Ridwan Kamil that day.
Returning to Dante, he said the government had coordinated with the researchers. Strategic steps will be taken based on a scientific basis, including based on the development of the understanding of this virus.
COVID-19 is endemic
In the midst of talks about the poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, news emerged that said the COVID-19 pandemic would be endemic. On the one hand, this news can mean that the new coronavirus will not disappear from the face of the earth, but on the other hand, this can also be interpreted as a fresh breeze that brings the world into a better condition.
The Nature survey revealed that many scientists believe COVID-19 will become endemic and that its effects will diminish over time. So does this mean that the coronavirus pandemic will end soon? What would the world be like if corona became an endemic disease? And how can the COVID-19 pandemic change its status to endemic?
In a survey of more than 100 immunologists, virologists, and infectious disease researchers, nearly 90 percent said COVID-19 would be endemic. That means, the spread of the virus or disease will be constant and tend to be controlled within a certain geographic area according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
For example, the case of the spread of flu in the United States (US), and there are four types of endemic coronaviruses that cause body fever. In Indonesia, one example of endemic disease is malaria in Papua.
Professor of Immunology from the University of La Jolla USA, Erica Ollman Saphire said if COVID-19 becomes endemic, it means that this virus will never disappear from the face of the earth. Even so, Saphire also said people would live better lives overall. "And do not get sick from the virus," Saphire said as quoted by CNBC.
We have discussed the issue of a year of the COVID-19 pandemic in depth through last week's special VOI Article Writing: The World Maybe Better If COVID-19 Is Endemic