JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin revealed the news that Indonesia had cases of COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 or the Omicron variant.
Budi explained that Omicron was detected from a whole genome sequencing (WGS) examination of the cleaning staff at Wisma Atlet Jakarta.
"There are 3 cleaning workers at the Wisma Atlet RSDC who tested positive for PCR, but one person confirmed positive for Omicron on December 15," Budi said in a virtual press conference, Thursday, December 16.
Budi explained that this man was initially exposed to COVID-19 on December 8. Then, the WGS sample of this janitor was sent to the Balitbangkes of the Ministry of Health on December 10, 2021.
"The Ministry of Health last night detected a patient with the initials N confirmed Omicron on December 15, 2021, we have confirmed the data with GISAID and it has been confirmed again from GISAID that this data is indeed Omicron sequenced data," said Budi.
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Budi said the three positive people, including one case of Omicron, had been quarantined at Wisma Atlet and had no symptoms; there is no fever, no cough, and has been tested by PCR again 3 days later and the results are negative for COVID-19.
"They have taken a second PCR, and the PCR results are all negative," said Budi.
Furthermore, Budi said there were also 5 probable cases of Omicron, two cases were Indonesian citizens who had just returned from the United States and England, both of whom were being isolated at Wisma Atlet. Then, foreigners from China who landed in Manado.
"Once again, these five people are still probable because they have just been tested by PCR with special markers and the positive PCR samples from these five probable cases have been sent to Balitbangkes and we are running genome sequencing tests, in the next three days we can confirm whether this is true. is this Omicron or not," he said.
Previously, a member of the Task Force for Handling COVID-19 Medical Expert Erlina Burhan revealed that people exposed to COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 or Omicron tend to have symptoms that are quite mild even though they are easily transmitted.
Judging from the cases of Omicron exposure in a number of countries, said Erlina, most of the infected and vaccinated patients do not even experience symptoms.
"Several countries say symptoms are mild. The good news is that this group of people who were vaccinated had no symptoms. So, indeed, the Omicron variant was found, but the people were asymptomatic because they had been vaccinated," said Erlina.
Erlina said that patients with the Omicron variant of COVID-19 only needed to self-isolate on average. Because, the symptoms that arise in cases in South Africa are usually fatigue, headaches, and body aches.
"This is different from the delta, this Omicron has no smell or taste disturbances, no anosmia, and ageusia," she said.
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