COVID-19 Delta Variant Emerges In East Nusa Tenggara, 3 Residents Including A 12-Year-Old Child Are Exposed

Head of Laboratory of RSUD Prof.Dr. WZJohanis Kupang, dr. Hermi Indita Malewa (Photo: ANTARA)

NTT - Three East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) residents were exposed to the Delta variant of COVID-19. One of the patients was a 12-year-old child.

"Based on the results of the examination carried out by the Jakarta Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes), there were three COVID-19 specimens from NTT that had mutations and were declared as Delta variant", said Head of the Laboratory of the Prof.Dr. WZJohanis Emergency Hospital Kupang, Dr. Hermi Indita Malewa told reporters in Kupang, quoted from Antara, Wednesday, July 21.

The NTT government for the first time officially announced the case of a new variant of Delta experienced by the three NTT residents. The three confirmed patients with the Delta variant are young COVID-19 patients.

"The cases of this new Delta variant generally attack young people, one of them is 12-year-old children in Kupang City who are exposed to the new Delta virus variant", he said.

Hermi Indita Malewa said that the laboratory of Prof. Dr. WZ Johanis Emergency Hospital Kupang as a reference laboratory for PCR examination in NTT in April 2021 had sent 310 swab samples suspected of having mutations or new variants to be examined more deeply at the Jakarta Balitbangkes Laboratory.

Based on the results of the examination of the 310 swab samples, she said, three samples of the Delta variant were found.

"Three specimens detected by the Delta variant are residents of Kupang City", said Hermi Indita Malewa.

Similarly, A Spokesperson for the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 in NTT Province, Marius Ardu Jelamu, added that the transmission of the Delta variant is very progressive with a very fast fatality rate and attacks young people, so it needs to be taken seriously.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the Task Force for the Acceleration of Handling COVID-19 for the Province of East Nusa Tenggara, Marius Ardu Jelamu, said the NTT people should not panic about the mutation of the Delta variant virus in this area.

"We expect the residents of Kupang City to seriously follow the health protocols in preventing the spread of COVID-19", said Marius.