Ministry of Health: New Variant of Omicron BN.1 in Indonesia Reaches 20 Cases, Mostly DKI

ILLUSTRATION OF DOC VOI

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health reported that the Omicron BN.1 Subvariant detected in Indonesia totaled 20 cases since it was first detected in the Riau Archipelago on September 16.

"We found one variant that is different from the others. This is what we are monitoring again, whether this will cause an increase in cases or not in Indonesia", said the Head of the Communications and Public Services Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, reported by ANTARA, Thursday, December 8.

Nadia said 20 cases of BN.1 in Indonesia so far have been reported from DKI Jakarta as many as nine cases, Central Java five cases, Riau Islands three cases, North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan one case each.

According to Nadia, BN.1 is a sublineage of BA.2.75 which is a derivative of the Omicron variant. In the world, first reported in late July 2022 from India.

Currently, BN.1 cases are being reported in the United States, United Kingdom, Austria, Australia, and India.

"The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is monitoring this variant because there has been an increase in cases with the BN.1 variant over the past 1 month", she said.

The proportion of cases globally in the past week was 5.1 percent, an increase from 4.4 percent the previous week.

Nadia said there was not enough data regarding transmission capability and severity. "But it is assumed to have the ability to immunity-escape", she said.

Nadia appealed to the public to comply with the health protocol by keeping a distance, wearing masks and washing hands (3M), and immediately accessing vaccination services at the nearest health center.

"We are still accelerating vaccinations, and booster vaccinations are still a travel requirement", she said.

In addition, the Ministry of Health is also intensifying genomic surveillance to track cases, although in general the trend of COVID-19 cases, which are dominated by the XBB and BQ.1 subvariants in Indonesia, has exceeded the peak situation.