Omicron Spreads More, Minister Of Health Budi Gunadi Orders To Accelerate Case Detection Through SGTF PCR

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin (Photo; DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin ordered the acceleration of detection of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 through the S-Gene Target Failure (STGF)-based PCR test.

The test using this method is quicker to detect cases caused by the new variant than the whole genome sequencing test.

"From the surveillance side, it is emphasized that there are more and more cases, not all of which will be genome sequenced again. We will direct the genome sequence to analyze the pattern of distribution of Omicron cases," Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, January 24.

"We will use PCR which is much faster and PCR with SGTF which can detect Omicron," he added.

The SGTF PCR-based test kits, continued Budi, will be immediately distributed to the regions. Thus, regional health offices can immediately detect cases of the Omicron variant.

Furthermore, he asked the regional head to continue to carry out testing according to existing regulations. In addition, Budi encouraged the isolation strategy for residents who tested positive for COVID-19 to continue to be carried out according to existing regulations.

"We hope that the discipline of testing one in 1.000 residents per week will continue and we will continue to carry out the isolation strategy at home as well as centralized isolation and hospitals according to the existing protocol," he concluded.