Spokesperson for Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Jodi Mahardi noted that the government will expedite administration of the second dose of vaccination for the general public and the elderly, especially in administrative areas where the figure had yet to reach 70 percent.
"The Coordinating Minister (for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan) has urged, especially all regional leaders in areas, where the second dose vaccination rates for the general public and elderly were still below 70 percent, to expedite vaccination in order to provide protection against the Omicron variant," the spokesperson noted in a written statement received here on Monday.
Mahardi spoke of the government readying mitigatory measures, including promoting booster vaccines for all people, especially those living in the Greater Jakarta area, and enforcing health protocols in a more stringent manner.
"Entry requirements to public places will be made stricter, (so) only those who have been vaccinated twice can conduct activities in public places," he added.
Mahardi affirmed that the government will continue to monitor and follow up developments and spikes in cases caused by the Omicron strain. They also ensured that the national health system is ready to handle additional cases.
"However, preventive measures through raising public awareness for following health protocols are the key to suppressing the (spike in the number) of cases," he emphasized.
An epidemiologist at University of Indonesia's Faculty of Public Health, Iwan Ariawan, suggested to maintain separate records of the number of Omicron cases reported in people that traveled from overseas and those through local transmissions.
According to Ariawan, overseas travelers constituted 75 percent of the current COVID-19 cases.
"The public must respond to this increase in cases with caution, but there is no need to panic. The method of preventing any variant of COVID-19 remains the same, that is (implementing the) health protocols, testing, tracking, isolation, and vaccination," he emphasized.
Ariawan stated that greater the number of people that had developed immunity against COVID-19, the lesser would be the number of virus transmissions, hospitalizations, and deaths.
The epidemiologist also noted that if the government's strategy ran smoothly, such as the public always adhering to health protocols and partaking in vaccinations, then Indonesia could evade a period of COVID-19 case spike.
The current increase in COVID-19 cases was caused by the spread of the Omicron variant as well as the increase in mobility during the year-end holidays.
"Many cases of the Omicron variant were detected among people, who traveled overseas, which means that our quarantine (places) function as means to prevent cases from abroad from spreading among the public," the epidemiologist concluded.
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Translator: Ade Irma J, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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