Ministry Of Health Worried About Local Transmission Of B117 Virus Mutation, Will The COVID Tsunami Like In India Occurred?

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - Director of Prevention and Control of Vector Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes), Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said that currently there have been cases of a new variant of COVID-19 which is transmitted from the local transmission.

This local transmission of COVID-19 is type B117. B117 is a virus mutation from England that has spread to a number of countries. Initially, B117 entered Indonesia by returning Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

"But currently there are B117s that are not from PMI's specimens. We suspect that local transmissions have occurred, such as in Karawang, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, and South Kalimantan districts", Nadia said in a virtual press conference, Tuesday, May 4.

It is known that this virus mutation is more rapidly transmitted than the first type of coronavirus. Nadia is worried that COVID-19 cases in Indonesia will increase due to local transmissions.

"Of course all of us in order to prevent this virus can transmit more widely. We must be able to learn from other countries so that cases do not spike like other countries", she said.

Moreover, soon the people will celebrate Eid Al-Fitr. The government considers that many residents have forced to go home to their hometowns even though it has been prohibited.

In fact, the high mobility of people is a factor in various countries such as India and countries in Europe experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases.

"The high mobility will increase the rate of transmission which will also increase the opportunities for new variants to transmit locally, which in the end may be difficult for us to control together", said Nadia.

"Do not let the homecoming be prohibited on the 6th, but people will flock back and forth before the 6th. This will increase our risk of exposure to COVID-19 infection", she added.

For information, the government has examined 1.228 specimens through whole-genome sequencing to detect virus mutations in a case. As a result, there have been 16 cases of virus mutation in Indonesia.

A total of 12 cases were variant B117, 2 cases B1617, and 1 case B1351. A total of 10 cases were brought by foreign travelers and 4 cases B117 were local transmissions.

Currently, all B117 cases and 1 case B1617 have been declared cured. Then, there is 1 case B1617 who is still undergoing treatment at the hospital, and 1 case B1351 died on 16 February.

The ferocity of the B117 virus can be seen in India. Reuters reported on Tuesday, May 4, that the increase in cases of COVID-19 infection in India has passed the 20 million cases, 20.282.833 cases, number two in the world after the United States.

India's second deadly wave of infections, the world's biggest surge in COVID-19 infections, took more than four months to add 10 million cases, compared to more than 10 months for the first 10 million cases.