Tanjungpinang, Riau Islands (ANTARA) - As many as 19 confirmed Omicron cases were detected in Riau Islands Province based on the laboratory test conducted on swab samples of COVID-19 patients, the local COVID-19 task force informed.

The 19 Omicron cases were found among 109 probable Omicron cases, spokesman for the Riau Islands Provincial COVID-19 Task Force Tjetjep Yudiana said on Sunday.

He said 88 of the 109 probable Omicron cases were found in Batam city, three in Bintan district and three in Karimun district, while 15 were found among Indonesian migrant workers.

"We are still awaiting the result of test," he said.


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He said Riau Islands added 37 COVID-19 active cases on Sunday, including 27 in Batam, seven in Tanjungpinang and three in Natuna,. In total, the number of active cases in Riau Islands reached 179 as of Sunday.

The total number of COVID-19 patients in Riau Islands has reached 54,123 since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 patients comprised 26,082 in Batam, 10,288 in Tanjungpinang, 5,594 in Bintan, 5,500 in Karimun, 1,846 in Anambas, 2,310 in Lingga and 2,503 in Natuna.

Meanwhile, the number of patients recovering from the infection reached 52,184, comprising 25,124 in Batam, 9,836 in Tanjungpinang, 5,405 in Bintan 5,334 in Karimun, 1,799 in Anambas, 2,225 in Lingga 2.225 and 2,457 in Natuna.

The COVID-19 death toll in Riau Islands reached 1,760, comprising 842 in Batam, 403 in Tanjungpinang, 180 in Bintan 180, 161 in Karimun, 47 in Anambas 85 in , Lingga and 42 in Natuna 42.


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During a national webinar on Saturday, spokesperson for the Health Ministry's COVID-19 vaccination Siti Nadia Tarmizi said that Omicron cases were previously detected in several provinces.

The provinces comprised Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Central Java, East Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi, she noted.

On the national scale, the number of confirmed Omicron cases recorded between December 15, 2021, and February 4, 2022, stood at 3,914, she said.

Of the total cases, 1,815 were detected in international travelers, while 1,756 cases involved local transmission, she informed.


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Translator: Nikolas Panama, Suharto
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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