Jakarta (ANTARA) - Three percent or 33 of the 1,090 patients who have died of Omicron in Indonesia so far have been infants aged under five, according to Spokesperson for the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi.

In a short message on Friday, she said that the statistic was based on a case count conducted by the ministry as of Sunday.

The effort to protect infants from the risk of sickness and even death due to COVID-19 can be carried out by families and surrounding people by participating in vaccinations and observing stringent health protocols, she added.

"We once again urge the public, including children and the elderly, to immediately complete their vaccination," she said.

Tarmizi, who is also the ministry's public health directorate general secretary, said that, so far, no COVID-19 vaccines have been recommended by experts for infants.

Of the total 1,090 Omicron patients who died, 68 percent had reportedly not received the first or the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, she informed.

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The risk of fatality due to Omicron is very high for adults and the elderly, she said. The ministry's data shows that almost 80 percent of Omicron patients who died were aged over 45 years, she noted.

Seventy-six percent of them were aged above 45 years, 49 percent were categorized as elderly, and 48 percent had comorbidities, she added.

In response to the surge in Omicron cases, the government has intensified vaccinations and telemedicine utilization, she noted.

According to the Health Ministry, 139,140,467 Indonesians have received the complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday, when 859,508 took the shots.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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