Ministry Of Health Provides 30 RNA-Based Omicron Detection Kits

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JAKARTA - Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia Dante Saksono Harbuwono said the government has provided a set of components or kits for detecting the new variant of Omicron (B.1.1.529) based on RNA.

"We have developed and already have 30 kits. One kit per 124, meaning we have more than 3.000 kits that will identify Omicron by not Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), but by RNA," said Dante Saksono Harbuwono, Boyolali Regency, Central Java, quoted by Antara, Friday, December 10.

The RNA-based kit is prioritized for early detection of Omicron imports at state entrances, such as Soekarno Hatta Airport, the West Kalimantan Etikong border, and other airports.

Dante said the Omicron variant so far we have done genome sequencing with the result that it has not been identified in Indonesia.

Even though it has not been detected, said Dante, the government is still conducting identification, especially at the entrance areas, both land, sea, and air.

"By way of all the cases where the PCR is positive, genome sequencing is carried out. Mapping the gene so we can know whether it is an Omicron variant or not," he said.

Dante said the Ministry of Health had added WGS examination laboratories from the initial 12 units to 14 laboratories.

In order to speed up WGS, said Dante, the Ministry of Health has also implemented a new method using a special PCR called the S-gene target failure (SGTF) method.

The SGTF method, said Dante, will detect using PCR by determining probable Omicron to determine the special position of DNA and RNA sequencing.