"There have been five people who have died of Omicron; 60 percent of them were not fully vaccinated," he informed at an online press conference that was accessed here on Monday.
Sixty-three percent of Omicron patients in Indonesia with moderate to severe symptoms and requiring oxygenation support have not been fully vaccinated, he noted.
"Most of them are older adults. We also identified the number of those (patients) who are children is quite shocking," he said.
To this end, he stressed that accelerating COVID-19 vaccinations, especially among older adults and children, is essential.
"Please prioritize giving vaccinations to those who have not been vaccinated, especially older adults and children," the minister remarked.
Related news: Minister concerned about Omicron variant's impact on national recovery
Earlier, spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, had asked people experiencing COVID-19 related symptoms to get tested immediately because the Omicron variant generally causes mild symptoms but there is still a risk of developing severe symptoms and even death.
"Although in general, the symptoms shown are mild, the risk for serious illness and even death is still there," Tarmizi stressed.
According to the Ministry of Health, the rate of COVID-19 testing through the antigen test and the PCR test methods in the last week was less than 2.54 percent. In fact, in July 2021, Indonesia clocked the highest level of testing in a number of provinces, with the rate reaching 50–90 percent on average, it said.
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 31, 2022, at least 4,353,370 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,140,454 people have recovered and 144,320 people have succumbed to the virus.
Related news: Indonesia's health ministry reports two Omicron deaths
Related news: Health Ministry records three Omicron deaths
Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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