Ministry Of Health: Risk Of Transmission In The Household On Omicron Is Higher

Spokesperson for Vaccination of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tirmizi/Antara

JAKARTA - Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Vaccination of the Ministry of Health (Kemkes) Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 causes a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission in households than Delta.

"The risk of transmission in the household with Omicron is higher because it transmits more quickly," said Nadia during a virtual discussion on Dealing with Omicron Transmission in Jakarta, Friday, December 24.

Nadia said Omicron transmission can be three times faster than the Delta variant. One case of Delta infection can spread to 6-8 people.

In addition, Omicron is also capable of causing re-infection in people who have been infected with COVID-19.

"So one month to two months after people get COVID-19, they can then get sick again because they might get the Omicron variant," said Nadia.

If the number of COVID-19 cases due to infection with the Omicron variant begins to increase, it will become a burden on health facilities.

In the case of a spike in cases, Nadia said that health facilities have limitations to be able to provide optimal services even though the government has tried to anticipate the availability of health services.

In South Africa, as cases soared due to the Omicron variant, there was an increase in hospitalizations.

"If the number of sick people increases very quickly, the treatment and death will increase because people need treatment," he said.

The government continues to tighten at the entrances to the country's territory on land, sea and air to prevent the entry of the Omicron variant.

In addition to the Omicron variant, Nadia said the Delta variant remains a threatening virus because Delta continues to mutate until now.

For this reason, the entire community must remain vigilant in dealing with variants of the mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 by carrying out health protocols in a disciplined manner.

Apart from health protocols, 3T (testing, contact tracing and treatment) and COVID-19 vaccination remains the key against any variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 including the Omicron variant. This was reported by Antara.