20 PPLN Countries That Enter Indonesia Have Been Observed To Have A High Increase In COVID-19, Including India-England With The XBB Variant

Illustration of COVID-19 test outlets in France. (Wikimedia Commons/XIIIfromTOKYO)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) revealed that 20 countries from overseas travelers (PPLN) who entered Indonesia were observed to have experienced a significant increase in positive cases of COVID-19. Some of them have found the XBB variant. "Untuk, dari lima negara terbanyak yang warga negaranya sering masuk ke Indonesia, yaitu Australia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, dan Inggris,” kata Direktur Surveillance dan Kekarantinaan Kesehatan Kemenkes, Achmad Farchanny Tri Adryanto dikutip dari Antara, Kamis, 27 Oktober. According to data from the Ministry of Health as of October 19, 2022, the 20 countries that have been observed to have increased cases are Australia, Malaysia, India, Singapore, England (UK), the United States, Germany, South Korea, France, Russia, the Netherlands, Vietnam, Japan, New Zealand, Philippines, Thailand, China, Spain, and Canada. While the discovery of the XBB variant is reported to have occurred the most in the countries of India and Singapore. Farchanny stated that the increase in cases should have begun to be watched out for by all parties, because several countries have locations close to Indonesia, so it is feared that it could further expand the spread of infection. Another thing that he thinks should be watched out for is some areas that intersect directly with related countries, such as Batam, Riau Islands, for example. Travelers who visit Batam are dominated by foreign PPLN. “ PPLN coming from Singapore reached 26,851 people for the period from October 9-15. So, the average per week is between 20,000 and 30,000 people entering Batam from Singapore,” he said. Farchanny said the government continues to monitor the global situation and the development of the XBB variant. As an effort to prevent infection from spreading in the community, the government is currently increasing health quarantine surveillance. The supervision was carried out not only for PPLN, but also related to transportation equipment and goods at the entrance, especially those from countries infected with the XBB variant. The Ministry of Health also participated by increasing the sequencing of positive cases of COVID-19 found in referral laboratories. "All the positive cases of PCR that we found must be examined further by examining Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). So that we can immediately find out the variant and the sub-variant of this positive case. We have conveyed all the laboratories that have been able to carry out WGS examinations to health agencies,” he said. Then, the government also improved the surveillance system and collaboration of entrances and regions. Meanwhile, the increase in vaccination coverage, especially the complete dose and booster, is also being carried out even though there is currently a shortage of vaccines in a number of areas. He invited the public to remain disciplined and tighten health protocols, namely wearing masks, washing hands with soap and maintaining distance. Let's use masks and wash our hands as a lifestyle. Then, secondly, let's complete our vaccination dose, ” he said.