COVID-19 Cases In Indonesia Continue To Increase, Claims Task Force Is Still Under Control

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JAKARTA - The COVID-19 Handling Task Force (Satgas) said the condition of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia was still under control.

"The condition of Indonesian cases contributed by various variants is still under control. However, there has been an increase in cases over the past month," said the National Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, quoted by Antara, Thursday, January 20.

Based on data from the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID) as of January 20, 2022, it is known that in the past month 817 cases of Omicron have been reported in Indonesia.

In addition, he continued, the Delta variant was 352 cases and the Alpha and Beta cases were zero percent.

"It is important to know that the data collected by each actor through whole genome sequencing (WGS) in various countries may not necessarily represent all confirmed cases of variants indicated by the existing data because not all samples were included in GISAID," said Wiku.

Moreover, he continued, GISAID as a data collector also curated the data collected, so that not all samples could be accepted.

"We can use this 'Dashboard' to describe the current condition of the case," he said.

Wiku hopes that the latest case announcements given at every opportunity can be a reminder to always be introspective of discipline in implementing health protocols as a form of contribution to controlling the national COVID-19 case number.

Regarding the potential for peak cases due to the Omicron variant, Wiku said, this prediction should serve as a reminder to stay alert at all times.

"But we also have to be optimistic that Indonesia can prevent a spike in cases, because we can still change the predictions with real efforts, namely by implementing health protocols," he said.

He asked the essential, economic, and social sectors that are still operating to strictly implement the health protocols and must be carried out thoroughly in accordance with what the government has regulated through the instructions of the Minister of Home Affairs.

"This is solely done to protect every level of society according to their level of vulnerability," he said.