Health Office Ensures No COVID-19 'Son Of Omicron' Has Been Found In North Sumatra

ILLUSTRA TION BY VOI

MEDAN - The North Sumatra Provincial Health Office confirmed that until now there have been no cases of transmission of the Omicron BA.2 subvariant which is often dubbed the "Son of Omicron" in the region.

"Nothing has been found in North Sumatra yet," said Head of the North Sumatra Provincial Health Office, Dr. Ismail Lubis in Medan, quoted by Antara, Friday, March 4.

According to him, the North Sumatra Provincial Government has not received directives from the central government regarding the handling of the BA.2 variant case which is also referred to as the Omicron stealth.

"There are no directions or instructions from the center regarding the new variant," he said.

To anticipate the transmission of COVID-19, the North Sumatra Health Service will continue to strengthen the implementation of 3T (testing, tracing, and treatment), namely testing, tracking, and treatment.

"We are also preparing a COVID-19 referral hospital to provide isolation facilities," said Ismail.

Despite the series of efforts made, he appealed to the public to remain disciplined in implementing health protocols, namely wearing masks, maintaining distance, washing hands, and avoiding crowds.

The public is also asked to immediately participate in vaccinations to achieve group immunity in anticipation of COVID-19 transmission.

Ismail said the majority of COVID-19 sufferers in North Sumatra had not received the COVID-19 vaccine injection.

"People who have not been vaccinated should immediately vaccinate and complete up to three doses," he said.