COVID-19 Task Force: No Official WHO Information On Delmicron Nomination

PIXABAY Illustration

JAKARTA - Government Spokesperson for Handling COVID-19 as well as New Customs Ambassador Dr. Reisa Broto Asmoro emphasized that there was no official statement from the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding the naming of the Delmicron variant.

Reisa said that so far the name of the SARS-CoV-2 mutation comes from the Greek alphabet.

"WHO has so far given the name SARS-CoV-2 and the new mutation is based on the name from the Greek alphabet. There is no official information regarding Delmicron," Reisa said in an online statement that was followed in Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, December 27.

According to Reisa, the Omicron variant is a COVID-19 mutation that is interconnected with the previous variant, namely Delta. Likewise with Delta associated with the Alpha variant.

However, Reisa appealed to the public to always be careful because the COVID-19 virus is easy to mutate. So that in prevention, do not let your guard down and relax health protocols.

In addition, he said, the public must first check the veracity of information about Delmicron, before spreading it.

"Delmicron must first check whether the information is correct or not. Many government sources can be used to check, such as the ministry of health.go.id and covid19.go.id," said Reisa.

With the new variant of COVID-19 starting to emerge, Reisa appealed to the public not to stress too much, but to remain vigilant about its spread.

In addition, the public is advised to take the most optimal prevention method, namely by implementing consistent and disciplined health protocols.

If they are going to travel, the public is advised to choose a destination that applies PeduliLindungi and implements CHSE. Then to combine self-protection by wearing masks and following vaccinations.

Previously, a health science expert from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, said Delmicron was not a scientific name for the new variant of SARS-CoV-2.

According to him, this information is only the opinion of a doctor who happened to be interviewed by one of the media, and Delmicron is not written in scientific writing.

He said, so far this is not a new variant, but patients who have been attacked by the Delta variant and the Omicron variant, so it is suspected that the infection is fast and the complaints are not light. However, until now there is no scientific evidence that explains this.