According to the serosurvey conducted in 100 districts and cities in several agglomeration and non-agglomeration areas during the November-December 2021 period, 86.6 percent of the population in the surveyed areas have had antibodies against SARS-CoVJakarta (ANTARA) - The COVID-19 Handling Task force highlighted that 86.6 percent of Indonesians spread across the surveyed 100 districts and cities had antibodies against COVID-19.
"According to the serosurvey conducted in 100 districts and cities in several agglomeration and non-agglomeration areas during the November-December 2021 period, 86.6 percent of the population in the surveyed areas have had antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, both caused by past infection or vaccination," spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito stated during an online press conference on Tuesday.
Moreover, some 73.2 percent of the population in the 100 areas also have antibodies despite never being tested positive for COVID-19 and vaccinated against the virus.
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Adisasmito expressed optimism that the public would increase compliance to health protocols.
Moreover, he also called for increasing testing and tracing in a bid to screen omicron cases among members of the community.
The spokesperson affirmed that the central government had continued to coordinate with the regional governments to prepare a contingency plan immediately and take precautionary measures against a likely spike in COVID-19 cases.
He noted that the latest circular of the Task Force will also regulate a renewal of the list of countries whose travelers are required to undergo a 10-day quarantine upon arrival in Indonesia as well as further stipulation related to quarantine dispensation.
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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 January 4, 2022, at least 4,263,732 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,114,969 people have recovered, and 144,105 people have succumbed to the virus.
The Ministry of Health confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant on December 16, 2021.
On Wednesday, January 5, 2022, the ministry's spokesperson Siti Nadia Tarmizi confirmed that there were 92 additional confirmed Omicron cases in Indonesia, thereby bringing the total case count to 254, comprising 239 imported cases and 15 cases from local transmission.
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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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