414 people contracted Omicron variant: Indonesian Health Ministry

The Indonesian Health Ministry recorded a spike in the number of confirmed Omicron cases, reaching 414, as of Saturday, out of which 34 were locally transmitted.

The ministry's COVID-19 vaccination spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmidzi, urged the public to not travel abroad if it is not too urgent.

"Most of the Omicron cases came from international travelers. Hence, the people are expected to defer their plans to travel abroad," Tarmidzi noted in her written statement here on Sunday.

Cases of the Omicron infection mostly came from Turkey and Saudi Arabia. A completely vaccinated person could still contract the Omicron variant.

This translates to the fact that vaccination does not guarantee that a person is immune to the COVID-19 virus. Most people, who were confirmed to have contracted Omicron, had completed their vaccination.

"We need to be cautious. We cannot let it infect us. Implementing health protocols is a must even though vaccination has been completed. Do not contract and spread the virus," she affirmed.

Omicron has a far faster rate of infection as compared to the Delta variant, Tarmidzi noted. In Indonesia, the pace of transmission of the Omicron variant continues to increase ever since it was confirmed on December 16, 2021.

The Health Ministry has encouraged regions to strengthen the 3T (Testing, Tracing, Treatment), actively conduct monitoring if new COVID-19 clusters are found, and immediately report and coordinate with the central government if Omicron cases are found.

"We cannot let our guard down. We cannot let the third wave emerge in Indonesia," Tarmidzi remarked.

"We cannot let what transpired in India to also occur in Indonesia in which there was an upward trend, from some six thousand cases to around ninety thousand confirmed cases of Omicron. This is something that we should avoid," she added. (*)