Indonesia Ranks 40 Countries With The Most Omicron Cases, Now 152 Cases Have Been Detected

ILLUSTRATION/PIXABAY

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan revealed that currently Indonesia is ranked 40th in the country with the most recorded cases of COVID-19, the Omicron variant.

The latest data, based on the results of the whole genome sequencing (WGS) examination, there have been 152 cases of Omicron in the country.

"Regarding Omicron, we have grown to 132 countries and we are ranked 40th. So, the number of Omicron cases in Indonesia now stands at 152 Omicron cases," Luhut said in a virtual press conference, Monday, January 3.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadiki explained that the majority of Omicron cases in Indonesia were imported cases or brought by foreign travelers who entered Indonesia.

Meanwhile, six of these cases were local transmissions with no history of travel from abroad. Budi said this condition is still better than the spread of Omicron in other countries.

"Omicron in Indonesia, of the 152, half are asymptomatic, half are mildly ill. This means they don't need oxygen because the saturation is still above 50 percent.

Of that figure, as many as 23 percent or 34 people have recovered and have returned to their respective homes. So far, no Omicron patients need to be hospitalized when they are positive.

"Just give them medicine and vitamins, they can go back home. Clinically, even though the antibody protection from the vaccine can be passed, the protection from the T-cells can protect quite well. That explains the lower fatality hospital admission," he concluded.