Jakarta Finds Case Of Omicron Variant During Implementation Of PPKM Level 1, DPRD: Empowering Communities

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JAKARTA - The findings of the first Omicron variant of the COVID-19 case were announced in Jakarta. Meanwhile, currently Jakarta is implementing PPKM Level 1, after easing from the previous PPKM Level 2.

DKI Jakarta DPRD member Gilbert Simanjuntak views the DKI Provincial Government must empower the community in preventing transmission so that cases do not increase.

"Empowering people to face the mutations that will still occur and live with them can be done through education and monitoring of health promotion," Gilbert told reporters on Friday, December 17.

Reflecting on the first and second batches of COVID-19 cases, Gilbert said case reduction from both waves could be successful not by carrying out PCR tests or very expensive antigen tests, but by limiting crowds and mobility.

"In current level 1 conditions, the economy can be sustained by monitoring people following 3M's health protocols," Gilbert explained.

"We won't be able to prevent the virus from getting in, but we can prevent hospitals from being full and the economy can run as it is now," he continued

Previously, it was known that the Omicron COVID-19 case had been found in Indonesia. This was announced by the Minister of Health, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, yesterday.

Yesterday, Budi explained that three cleaners at the Wisma Atlet RSDC showed positive results for COVID-19. They were exposed to COVID-19 as of December 8 last.

Then, the WGS sample of this janitor was sent to the Balitbangkes of the Ministry of Health on December 10, 2021 to carry out a whole genome sequencing examination.

As a result, one in three cases was exposed to the Omicron variant as of December 15th. They have now returned to PCR and showed negative results.

"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 on Thursday, December 16.

Budi said the three positive people, including one case of Omicron, had been quarantined at the Wisma Atlet and had no symptoms, had no fever or cough. "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 Athletes. 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 explained.