It seems that it (Omicron) spreads because people infected by it show almost no symptoms. The symptoms are so mild that they continue their activities, even travel abroad.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - One of the factors supporting the fast spread of Omicron is that the people contracting it are suffering from mild to almost no symptoms, a researcher from the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) has said.



"It seems that it (Omicron) spreads because people infected by it show almost no symptoms. The symptoms are so mild that they continue their activities, even travel abroad," Amin Soebandrio told ANTARA here on Friday.



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Since it produces mild to almost no symptoms, people do not realize that they have already been infected with Omicron, so they go about their business as usual and travel around, he said.



This is driving the quick and exponential spread of Omicron from one country to another, even to another continent, he added.



"They (people infected with Omicron) maintain their activities, including traveling far away. This is what has caused the virus to be able to spread abroad and even to other continents," he said.


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To this end, the people are urged to maintain their cautiousness by implementing stringent health protocols and to carry out COVID-19 vaccinations to prevent the virus' spread, he added.



This is especially crucial as the Omicron variant spreads more quickly, he said.



Earlier, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed that a janitor at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital had tested positive for Omicron.


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"Last night, the Health Ministry found that a patient, with the initial N, was confirmed to have contracted the Omicron variant on December 15, 2021," Sadikin said during a press conference on COVID-19 on Thursday.



"We confirmed the data with GISAID. This is the Omicron sequencing," he added.



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Translator: Martha S, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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