"We know that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) standard, if there is one case, about 30 people must be traced. Perhaps, we are not quite there yet, but many have been conducting tracing," a researcher at the agency's Eijkman Research Center for Molecular Biology, Amin Soebandrio, noted in the statement here on Monday.
Soebandrio stated that the 3T (testing, contact tracing, treatment) strategy must be implemented more in cases of the Omicron variant, as people infected with this variant could be asymptomatic or only show mild symptoms.
Additionally, the Omicron variant had a more rampant transmission as compared to its Delta counterpart. A single case of Delta could infect some 6-8 people.
Omicron is also capable of inflicting repeated infections in people that already contracted COVID-19.
Thus, tracing should be expedited in order to combat the spread of COVID-19.
The researcher noted that currently, contact tracing capabilities in Indonesia varied widely per case, but it had yet to meet the standard set by the WHO that mandates 30 traced people per COVID-19 case.
Nonetheless, the government had made efforts to boost the capacity of contact tracing and testing in the country that had gradually improved, he opined.
"Regarding Omicron, currently, the government's efforts (to trace close contacts) are much better than in the past," Amin stressed.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, contact tracing and testing capabilities must be further enhanced, as they contribute immensely in the discovery of cases and thus stem the spread of the virus.
When cases of COVID-19 are found in the public, interventions in the form of isolation and treatment could be made to prevent further transmission.
"If it is known who the contact is, then the contact must also be checked. If they were positive, they will be tested again, so it will be a chain," he added.
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Translator: Martha H S, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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