The Ministry Of Health Has Not Seen The BF.7 Subvariant Sign Will Develop In Indonesia

Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, when delivering a statement to journalists/ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) has not seen any signs of an increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia after the discovery of a number of patients infected with the Omicron Subvariant BF.7. "We are not too worried, because since October 2022, the variant that still dominates at this time is XBB and there is no sign of an increase in BF7," said Head of the Communication and Public Service Bureau of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi in Jakarta, quoted from Antara, Thursday, December 29. Nadia said BF.7 which is now triggering a spike in cases in China and a number of other countries in the world have relatively mild symptoms. All patients infected in Indonesia have been declared cured in self-isolation (isoman) since the specimen was discovered in October 2022. "All the patients are healthy," he said. Indonesian Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin at Harapan Kita Hospital, Jakarta, today said the number of BF.7 cases in Indonesia detected based on relatively few genomic surveillance, ranged from 15 cases. "The BA.5 subvariant in Indonesia has passed its cycle, the BA.2.75 has passed, we have seen only BF.7 in Indonesia. The increase is very small, 15 cases," he said. Two of these cases were reported from DKI Jakarta, male aged 30-40 years. Both patients have mild symptoms and self-isolate at home. The two patients have been declared cured, without any comorbidities and no history of overseas travel. The DKI Health Office is still updating the data on the number of patients experiencing close contact based on the addition of reports from the local health laboratory. Minister of Health Budi appealed to the public to remain obedient to health protocols and to move themselves to access COVID-19 vaccination services at the nearest health service center as an effort to protect themselves from the risk of severe symptoms of illness due to infection with the Corona virus. "So until now, the vaccine is still free, speed up boosters," he said.