Many people infected with the Omicron variant have been found to be asymptomatic, he pointed out. At the same time, there has been a decline in testing and tracing, he noted.
"Since, maybe, in some places, there are already zero cases, thus they are lazy to conduct testing. However, we urge you to continue testing because asymptomatic (people) are often found (to be infected with) Omicron," he said at an online press conference, accessed from here on Monday.
Testing and tracing can help identify potential cases with high viral loads and isolate infected people so that the virus does not spread quickly, he added.
"Through stricter enforcement of testing and tracing, quarantine measures at the micro-level, such as those conducted at the Athlete's Village (Hospital), can be implemented if local transmission of the Omicron variant has been detected," the minister explained.
Due to the government's firm steps to prevent the entry of the Omicron variant, COVID-19 cases in the country are still low, Pandjaitan highlighted.
Coronavirus cases have remained low for 164 days so far since the Delta wave peaked on July 15 this year, he said. Until the present, there has been no indication of an increase in cases due to an Omicron spike, he informed.
Additionally, the rate of hospitalization and the current death toll is still showing signs of being under control, he noted.
"However, the government remains cautious, because we still don't know much about this virus," the minister said.
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COVID-19 data monitoring is being conducted strictly, down to the district and city level, he added.
"As I said last week, the tightening of community activities will only be carried out when it exceeds a certain threshold, taking into account not only daily cases, but also cases of hospitalization and deaths," he explained.
The rate of vaccination among the general and elderly population in Java and Bali regions has also continued to increase, the minister said. The first and second dose coverage in those areas has crossed 80 percent and 60 percent, respectively, he added.
The preliminary results of the National Serosurvey have also indicated a fairly high immunity among the public, Pandjaitan pointed out.
"However, there are still several districts and cities with the first dose of vaccination below 50 percent. The government continues to encourage the participation of regional governments to continue to push for (higher) vaccination (rate) in their (respective) regions," he said.
Going forward, the government has also urged regions to prepare hospital facilities and isolation centers for the purpose of mitigation, he added.
In addition, the enforcement of health protocols and the use of PeduliLindungi during the Christmas and New Year holidays must also be boosted, Pandjaitan said.
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Translator: Ade Irma J, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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