Jakarta (ANTARA) - Spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, has urged people to increase vigilance amid the detection of local transmission of the Omicron variant and reduce mobility.
“With the discovery of this local transmission case, the government again reminds the public to reduce mobility, especially during the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Avoid crowds and always wear a mask," she said during an online dialogue on Tuesday.
According to Tarmizi, 47 cases of Omicron—46 imported cases and one involving local transmission—have been detected in the country.
The imported cases were immediately identified so quarantine could be carried out to prevent transmission and trace the patients' close contacts, she informed.
However, the local transmission case indicated that infections have occurred among community members in one area, even though they have no history of traveling abroad, she added.
According to the spokesperson, as a follow-up to the local transmission case, the government evacuated the patient and placed him under isolation at the Sulianti Saroso Hospital, North Jakarta.
"The Health Office has coordinated with the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and the places that the patient visited," she informed.
She also emphasized that the government will continue to monitor COVID-19 transmission in regions.
For that reason, she asked all local governments to cooperate with all parties to continue monitoring, especially if there is a potential for the emergence of clusters due to Omicron transmission.
This is to speed up investigations and assessments of whether there is a relation with the Omicron variant or not," she remarked.
The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 28, 2021, at least 4,262,157 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,113,472 people have recovered, and 144,071 people have succumbed to the deadly virus. (
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