Bad News On January 1, 2022, Omicron Variant Cases Increase By 68 People, Total 136 Cases

Illustration of a COVID-19 test kit. (Wikimedia Commons/dronepicr)

JAKARTA - Omicron cases in Indonesia increased by 68 people as of Friday, December 31. This variant of the COVID virus was brought by overseas travelers from a number of countries.

"There are an additional 68 cases, bringing the total confirmed cases in Indonesia to 136," said Spokesperson for the Indonesian Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, in a press release received in Jakarta, Antara, Saturday, January 1.

Nadia said 68 new cases came from overseas travelers and 11 of them were Indonesian citizens.

"All cases are foreign travelers, with the most arrival countries from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States," she said.

Of the 68 confirmed cases of Omicron, 29 people have no symptoms, 29 people are sick with mild symptoms, one person is sick with moderate symptoms, and nine others are without explanation.

WHO data from calculating the predicted increase in cases due to Omicron compared to Delta and taking into account the level of transmission and risk of severity, it is found that there is a possibility of a rapid increase in the addition of cases due to Omicron.

"However, this is accompanied by a lower rate of use of hospital and ICU beds compared to the Delta period," she said.

According to Nadia, the Omicron variant has a high transmission rate, but with a low risk of serious illness. Even so, people still have to be vigilant because the situation can change quickly.

"Therefore, prevention and control efforts, as well as other mitigation efforts must continue," she said.

Nadia appealed to the public to refrain from traveling to countries with very high transmission of Omicron transmission.

"Don't be selfish, you must refrain from traveling to countries with very high transmission of COVID-19, such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States. We must work together to protect those closest to us from contracting COVID-19. Let's hold back," she said.