New XBB Variant Of COVID-19 Detection In Singapore, Commission IX Of The DPR Asks The Government Not To Anticipate

Illustration of Singapore which is next door to Indonesia. (Unsplash-Jisun Han)

JAKARTA - Commission IX of the House of Representatives warned the government not to stutter in anticipation of the emergence of a new subvariant from COVID-19 Omicron called XBB. This subvariant has been found in a number of countries, one of which is Singapore. According to a member of Commission IX of the House of Representatives, Irma Suryani Chaniago, the most powerful subvariant to escape this vaccine is a global new threat, including Indonesia.

Therefore, the government's anticipatory steps must be more measurable because it has experience in having gone through a long pandemic.

"Until now, this new variant of COVID-19 is still a scourge, but after we have passed a very long pandemic period, we should no longer stutter in anticipation," Irma told reporters, Tuesday, October 18.

While waiting for the government's anticipation of the emergence of a fast-spreading XBB, this NasDem Party politician admitted that vaccinations must still be encouraged and the public remains disciplined in the 3M process.

"What is needed now is to focus on booster vaccination and continue to take steps to carry out activities with 3M in a closed room (indoor)," he said.

The legislator for the South Sumatra electoral district also encouraged the national production vaccine to be immediately used for vaccination compliance. So, said Irma, the government no longer needs to rely on imported vaccines.

In addition, Irma also reminded the Government to continue to provide information regarding the development of the COVID-19 problem to the public so that they can be introspective and protect every health from the threat of COVID-19.

"The important thing is that government information to the public about the development of new variants must always be carried out. Because thus the public will always be vigilant in maintaining their respective health," said Irma.

Sebagai informasi, baru-baru ini sebuah subvariant ditemukan dikenal sebagai XBB. XBB atau BA.2.10 merupakan evolutionary dari strain subvariant BA.2 Omicron. Dengan cepat XBB mendominasi kasus di Singapura sebanyak 54 persen pada awal bulan ini. Selain Singapura, virus ini juga telah terdeteksi di negara seperti Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Jepang, dan AS sejak Agustus 2022.