Indian Foreigners Exposed To COVID-19 B1617 Are Still Being Treated At Sulianti Saroso Sunter Hospital

Sulianto Saroso Hospital (DOK ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health noted that there were foreign citizens from India who came to Indonesia who were positive for COVID-19 with a mutation of the B1617 virus.

A spokesman for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, said that currently the Indian foreigner is still being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital, Sunter, North Jakarta.

"A foreigner from India who is infected with COVID-19 variant B1617 is in a stable, healthy condition and is still being treated at the Sulianti Saroso Hospital", Wiku said in a YouTube broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat, Thursday, May 6.

Wiku said the government continues to examine specimens of whole-genome sequencing to detect the variants of the coronavirus that enter and circulate in Indonesia.

"This is being carried out and larger sample collection in the area where the new variants are found", said Wiku.

Wiku said the government had tightened supervision at entrances in Indonesian territory, such as airports, ports, and border areas with neighboring countries. This is to anticipate the entry of other new COVID-19 variants.

However, Wiku still asked the public to adhere to health protocols. "To prevent the transmission of covid 19, I ask the public to be able to comply with health protocols in every activity they do", said Wiku.

Previously, the Director of Prevention and Control of Vector and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that the B1617 virus mutation had entered Indonesia.

This new COVID-19 variant is in the results of the whole genome sequencing test from one of the hundreds of Indian foreigners who recently boarded a charter plane to enter Indonesia.

"We got the B1617 mutation from the cluster of Indian foreigners who were busy yesterday, who left for Indonesia on April 10, 22, and 23", said Nadia.

B1617 is a viral mutation that originated in India. The transmission of B1617 was one of the factors that caused the tsunami of COVID-19 cases in India. This virus has been found in at least 17 countries.