"The current increase in COVID-19 cases has been triggered by the increasing number of cases of the Omicron variant," PDIB chairperson James Allan Rarung said when contacted in Jakarta on Thursday.
Initially, cases of the Omicron variant were detected in overseas travelers, but local transmission has been recorded lately, he noted.
As a result, people who did not travel abroad are also contracting Omicron infections, he said.
Currently, most people infected with the Omicron variant have no history of overseas travel, he added.
This suggests that local transmission is increasing significantly, he pointed out adding, there will likely be a spike in COVID-19 cases in the country. A surge is estimated in mid-February to March 2022, Rarung said.
Therefore, efforts to control COVID-19 cases must continue to be carried out, such as carrying out health protocols in a disciplined manner, increasing COVID-19 examinations, and tracking cases, he added.
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On January 27, 2022, the number of daily confirmed COVID-19 cases reached 8,077, he said.
Earlier, director of prevention and control of vector and zoonotic infectious diseases at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, had said that the risk of COVID-19 transmission in households due to Omicron is higher compared to the Delta variant.
"The risk of transmission in the household with Omicron is higher because it transmits more quickly," Tarmizi stated during a virtual discussion on 'Dealing with Omicron Transmission' in Jakarta on December 24, 2021.
She said that Omicron can transmit three times faster than the Delta variant. One Delta patient can infect 6–8 people, she pointed out.
In addition, Omicron is capable of causing re-infection in people who have been infected with COVID-19, she added.
If the number of COVID-19 cases due to the Omicron variant begins to increase, it will put a burden on health facilities, she said.
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Meanwhile, the COVID-19 Handling Task Force's national spokesperson, Wiku Adisasmito, stated that booster vaccinations are being provided as part of the government's response to the spread of the Omicron variant.
"The booster vaccine program is a response to the spread of the Omicron variant that could reduce immunity that had been formed before," he added.
Booster vaccinations are being offered in regions where herd immunity has been proven to have declined, he remarked.
In less than two months since its emergence, Omicron has been detected in almost every country in the world, he noted.
It has become so widespread that it is dominating all other previous variants, such as the Alpha, Beta, and Delta, in several nations, he highlighted.
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Translator: Martha H, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Suharto
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