"The government continues to monitor and prepare steps as the peak of Omicron cases will be reached in the next three weeks,” he informed at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.
COVID-19 cases outside Java and Bali have recorded an increase, with their proportion reaching 23 percent of the national active cases, or 124,714 out of 536,358 cases, he said.
Although COVID-19 cases have increased, the bed occupancy rate (BOR) is still under control, considering that Omicron symptoms are not as severe as those caused by the Delta variant, the minister noted.
"Although COVID-19 cases have increased, hospital occupancy is still under control," he said.
For example, the bed occupancy rate (BOR) of North Sumatra is 31 percent with a conversion of 19 percent, South Sulawesi has a BOR of 30 percent with a conversion of 16 percent, and East Kalimantan has a BOR of 29 percent with a conversion of 23 percent, he said.
The bed occupancy rate in the three regions is still under control despite the increase in COVID-19 cases reaching 10 thousand, he said.
The national bed occupancy rate is 38 percent, but outside Java and Bali, it is less than 30 percent, Hartarto said. Meanwhile, the bed occupancy in North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Bengkulu, Lampung, and South Kalimantan is between 31–35 percent, he said.
Meanwhile, the bed occupancy in the centralized isolation area is 5.89 percent of 29,723 beds, and the number of beds can still be increased to 48,399, he said.
In terms of the first dose vaccination coverage, three provinces have recorded vaccination rates of below 70 percent—Maluku, West Papua, and Papua, he added.
Meanwhile, the second dose coverage in South Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, West Sulawesi, North Maluku, Aceh, West Papua, and Papua is below 50 percent, Hartarto said.
Booster vaccine coverage in all provinces outside Java and Bali is still below 10 percent, he added.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) had earlier urged residents to get booster vaccines to strengthen their immunity once the efficacy of the first two vaccine doses starts to decline.
"During the pandemic, vaccination is also important. Those who are yet to be vaccinated, go get your vaccine; while those who have received their first vaccine dose, get your second dose; and those who have completed the two doses, promptly get your booster dose," he remarked.
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"All vaccine doses are being offered for free, as vaccination is important for our safety," the President said.
Indonesia is currently experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases due to the newly emerged Omicron variant, he remarked.
"Hence, we must be vigilant, yet must not overreact, to the current situation. We must be careful and vigilant, but we must neither arouse fear nor panic," he emphasized.
President Jokowi pointed out that medical research, including a WHO report about the virus variant, has revealed that the Omicron variant's transmission rate is higher than for other virus strains.
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Translator: Atrid F, Azis Kurmala
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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