North Sumatra Tightens Surveillance Of Travelers Following Omicron's Local Transmission Case

PIXABAY ILLUSTRATION

MEDAN - The Health Office (Dinkes) of North Sumatra Province confirmed that until now there have been no cases of transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 variant of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) corona virus found in its area.

"For North Sumatra, no Omicor cases have been found," said Head of the North Sumatra Health Service Ismail Lubis in Medan, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, December 28.

Ismail emphasized that his party will tighten supervision of travellers, as well as strengthen case tracking to detect Omicron transmission.

This follows the first local transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 in the country, which was experienced by a domestic traveler to Medan, North Sumatra-Jakarta.

Ismail ensured that if a case of Omicron is found later, the infected person will undergo strict quarantine to prevent further spread of the virus.

"To ensure this, we will also send WGS (Whole Genum Sequencing-ed) to Balitbangkes," he said.

The Health Office asked the public not to panic in response to the COVID-19 virus, the Omicron variant, which has been confirmed in Indonesia.

Ismail also appealed to the public to remain disciplined in implementing health protocols, namely wearing masks, maintaining distance, washing hands and avoiding crowds.

The public is also advised to mobilize as necessary and not to travel if it is not urgent, especially before the New Year's holiday.

"Because of the new year, cases often increase. But so far there have been no cases of Omicron in North Sumatra, because in this case he was positive in Jakarta, not in North Sumatra," he said.