Health Minister Budi: 5 People Died Due To COVID-19 Omicron Variant, Some Have Not Been Vaccinated

PIXABAY ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin revealed that five people had died from the Omicron variant of COVID-19. Of these, he said 60 percent of them have not received the vaccination.

"We already have five people who have died positive for Omicron. That's 60 percent not yet fully vaccinated", Budi said in a press conference broadcast on the Presidential Secretariat's YouTube, Monday, January 31.

Meanwhile, for those with moderate and severe symptoms that require oxygen and hospital treatment, 63 percent of them have not received a complete injection of the COVID-19 vaccine. In addition, most of them are children and the elderly who fall into vulnerable groups.

"So based on that fact, the third thing we want to convey is to accelerate vaccination. Especially for the elderly and children, protect them", said Budi.

"Because 60 percent of those who died were not fully vaccinated and 63 percent who had moderate and severe symptoms requiring oxygen were not fully vaccinated. Please prioritize giving vaccinations to those who have not received vaccinations, especially the elderly and children", added the former Deputy Minister of SOEs.

Minister of Health Budi also reminded people who were exposed to the Omicron variant of COVID-19 and had no symptoms, they should undergo treatment at home.

"Similarly if it is mild. It means that the saturation is still above 95 percent. There is a cold and cough, a slight fever during the 95 percent saturation (preferably treated, ed) at home", he said.

This step, continued Budi, must be done so that the hospital can be used for COVID-19 patients who are already in critical condition. Moreover, the Omicron variant recovers faster than the Delta variant.

"Let the hospital be a place where our severe, severe, critical relatives who need oxygen are treated there. But for those of us who are asymptomatic and mild, just stay at home because the chances of recovery are much higher than Delta", he concluded.