Omicron Patients Who Are Treated At Home Can Be A Little Relieved, The Government Frees Consultations And Medicines

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin/Antara

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the government would provide medicine as well as free consultation via telemedicine (telemedicine) for people who were confirmed positive for COVID-19, the Omicron variant.

"So the positive one was contacted via WA (whatsapp application) then he had to choose the telemedicine, later the consultation was free of charge, if the results of the consultation needed medicine, the medicine would be sent," said Budi Gunadi after attending a limited meeting on the evaluation of PPKM led by President Jokowi at the office President of Jakarta, reported by Antara, Monday, January 10.

Launching data from the COVID-19 Task Force, as of Sunday, January 9, there were 529 new positive cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia, bringing a total of 4,266,195 cases since March 2020. Meanwhile, the number of active cases in Indonesia reached 6,108 cases, an increase of 316 cases compared to the previous day. Of these 414 cases of the Omicron variant.

"The medicine is also free, but if it turns out that you don't need medicine, just stay at home," added Budi. According to Budi, the Ministry of Health has indeed made changes to its strategy in dealing with the Omicron variant.

"Omicron's transmission will indeed be much higher than Delta, but fewer people are being treated, so the Ministry of Health's service strategy will be shifted so that previously the focus was on hospitals, now the focus is on homes because many people will be affected but do not need to go to the hospital," said Budi. .

Budi Gunadi said the Ministry of Health had conducted research on 414 patients with confirmed Omicron variants.

"What are the symptoms, some only need to be treated at home, most of which are like that, what are the symptoms when being treated in centralized isolation such as a hospital, which are moderate and which are severe," added Budi.

The Ministry of Health, called Budi, has also collaborated with 17 telemedicine service providers to ensure that patients who have to be treated at home can still get access to consultations with doctors and get medicine.

"We have also collaborated with 'start-ups' in the logistics sector and the BUMN Kimia Farma so that medicines can reach 400,000 tablets of molnupiravir, the new antiviral drug from Merck, which has arrived in Indonesia and is ready to be used," explained Budi.

Budi said the patients being treated at home were those whose saturation level was above 95.

"Technically, if the person is sick and has no symptoms, but if he has symptoms of cough, runny nose, fever during saturation above 95, there is no need to go to the hospital, but if there are no symptoms, just stay at home, don't do anything, just isolate yourself. , but if he has symptoms, he is given a medicine package," said Budi.

The drugs given are similar to the drug packages that the government had given in mid-2021.

"Same as before, but only with Molnupiravir from Merck," added Budi.

According to Budi, of the 414 Omicron cases in Indonesia, only two patients are in the moderate category, which requires oxygen treatment, they are 58 years old and 47 years old and both have comorbidities.

"Of the 414 people being treated for Omicron, 114 people or 26 percent have recovered, including the two people who are in the moderate category so they can return home, so the conclusion is that although Omicron transmits faster, the severity is lighter," said Budi.

However, Budi admits that there is a possibility that Indonesia will face the Omicron wave.

"There's no need to panic, we have prepared well, experience shows that even though it rises fast, the tide goes down quickly, take steps, discipline 'surveillance' and don't forget to vaccinate," said Budi.