"On December 6, 2021, they (the patient and his wife) arrived in Jakarta with a result of negative rapid antigen test," Tarmizi informed.
The Omicron patient, identified as a 37-year-old man, and his wife arrived in Jakarta from Medan, and temporarily stayed in Jakarta from 6–19 December, 2021, she said.
Based on observations of the patient's travel history, on December 17, 2021, he went to a restaurant in the Sudirman Central Business District (SCBD) of Jakarta, she added.
On December 19, 2021, he took an antigen test prior to his returning to Medan and the result came positive, she informed.
"After that, he took an RT-PCR test on December 20, 2021, and the result came positive for the patient and negative for his wife," Tarmizi said.
The patient was given a direct PCR test at that time, but was not tested for S-gene Target Failure (SGTF), a screening carried out at the rapid PCR stage for early detection of the Omicron variant that needs to be confirmed with Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS), she added.
Later on, he was tested for SGTF and the result came out positive and his samples were sent for WGS, Tarmizi said.
Local transmission was confirmed after officials checked the patient's travel history and found he had not undertaken overseas travel or had contact with foreign travelers, she explained.
"Then, on December 26, 2021, based on laboratory results, it was confirmed that the patient was exposed to the Omicron variant," she added.
The Ministry of Health promptly placed the patient under isolation at the Sulianto Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital (RSPI SS), Jakarta on December 28, 2021, she said.
The Jakarta Provincial Health Service, in collaboration with the Tourism and Creative Economy Service, followed up by tracking cases in SCBD and other residents, she added.
"We are also tracing the patient's activities during his work in Jakarta. PCR tests will be carried out on several employees. We will see after 14 days, including the restaurants in SCBD and residents at his apartment (complex)," she informed.
The case was the first Omicron local transmission in Indonesia, she added.
As of Tuesday, 47 cases of Omicron—46 imported cases and one local transmission—have been confirmed in Indonesia, she noted.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta S
Editor: Sri Haryati
Copyright © ANTARA 2021
