Never Think Omicron Variant Is Weak

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JAKARTA - Australia's Griffith University Epidemiologist Dicky Budiman said omicron is not a weak variant that can be underestimated by the public. Still have a risk of severe symptoms to death.

"Omicron is not weak. This variant seems weak if it is transmitted to people who already have immunity, either because they have been vaccinated or have been infected and then vaccinated," said Dicky Budiman in Jakarta, Monday, February 7, quoted from Antara.

He hoped that people would not underestimate the Omicron variant of COVID-19. This condition must be faced by the community by ensuring that they have received a complete dose of vaccine and are disciplined in implementing health protocols.

The epidemiologist from Australia's Center for Environmental and Population Health Griffith University said many people in various countries suffer from severe symptoms due to Omicron because they have not been vaccinated. People who have not been vaccinated are one of the factors that make the spread of Omicron much faster than the Delta variant.

He said mitigation efforts need to be increased by the community.

"This is talking about our adherence to the 5M health protocol discipline, strengthening early detection to be improved, and of course accelerating vaccination," he said.

Dicky said the Omicron variant has a risk of death under certain conditions.

"This means that we can't place or assume that I've been infected, even if I haven't been vaccinated, it's not dangerous. Even people who have been vaccinated will still die, even though it's much smaller, especially if they haven't been vaccinated, it's very dangerous," he said.

Dicky also reminded that the 5M health protocol is still very relevant and needed to help strengthen the function or benefits of vaccination. In addition, testing, tracing, and treatment or 3T.

"Because there are still some from our community who have not been vaccinated, there are still some who even though they have been vaccinated, their protection has decreased, so it needs to be protected, by wearing masks, keeping a distance, and avoiding crowds," he said.

If these things weren't done, he judged the deployment speed of the Omicron variant as unattainable. "So that in the end they are exposed to these high-risk people, the elderly and so on, so that they become victims who are admitted to the hospital and continue to die, this must be an important concern," he said.

Dicky reminded that this virus is a disease that is closely related to people's behavior. "If behavior declines or is neglected, it spreads quickly because this virus does not spread by itself, it spreads because it is carried by people, and therefore we must remain disciplined until many people have been vaccinated, it must be above 90 percent actually," he said.