B161 COVID-19 Indian Variant Has Emerged In Jakarta, DKI Deputy Governor Asks Citizens To Tighten Health Protocols Implementation

Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta Ahmad Riza Patria (Photo: Diah Ayu Wardani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The DKI Jakarta Health Office confirmed a new variant of COVID-19 type B161 has emerged in the capital. The virus infected one of the health workers at a hospital in Jakarta, also known to infect one of the Indians who had just arrived.

In response to this matter, Deputy Governor of DKI Jakarta, Ahmad Riza Patria asked the public to be more serious and tightened the implementation of health protocols to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 Indian variant B161 in the capital.

"We ask the public to carry out health protocols properly, in earnest, let alone there are new variants from India from South Africa and from the UK. Please be more careful", Riza said at Jakarta City Hall, Friday, May 21.

Riza claimed that the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta has made various efforts to suppress the spike in cases from both new and old mutations. One of them, implementing micro-scale restrictions on community activities (PPKM) in Jakarta that has been repeatedly extended the validity period.

"The extension of Micro-scale PPKM until May 31 is all still the same as the previous two weeks there was no significant change there", he explained.

Another effort is to speed up the vaccination process to all levels of society in order to break the chain of transmission of this deadly virus.

"We are continuing to improve the vaccination program even more massively faster and there is enough in the process", Riza said.

Known from a number of experts' opinions, mutations from India are called the deadliest and more rapidly contagious than other variants.

Because, the variant contains a double mutation that is L4525 is feared to increase transmission of the virus and reduce the efficacy of antibodies and E484Q is feared to make the virus has better cell-binding than before that has the potential to avoid immunity.

B1617 is a new variant of coronavirus that was first detected in India in October 2020. The B1617 corona variant is thought to be the trigger for the COVID-19 tsunami that hit the country.