Implementing the health protocols is a must; do not slack off because it is a part of the mitigation, prevention, and handling of COVID-19.
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Health Ministry has recorded a total of 12 cases of the XBB and XBB.1 Omicron sub-variants in Indonesia, ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril informed at a virtual press conference on Friday.

"Two of these 12 cases were from overseas travelers who came from Singapore, while the other 10 cases involved local transmission," he said.

Although the new sub-variants are more contagious, compared to the previous sub-variants, they do not cause any severe symptoms in patients or significant increase in the mortality rate, he added.

"The characteristic of the XBB variant is (that the infection is) not as severe as the previous variant. In addition, the mortality and hospitality rates are not high," he noted.

Still, people must remain disciplined and strict in following the health protocols as a preventive measure, he said.

"Implementing the health protocols is a must; do not slack off because it is a part of the mitigation, prevention, and handling of COVID-19," he added.

To date, the transmission of the XBB sub-variant has been detected in 28 countries, he said.

"There are 28 countries which are experiencing a surge (in the number of COVID-19 cases) and have reported to find the XBB cases, (hence) the increase is linked to the XBB sub-variants,” he added.

Syahril further noted that the number of COVID-19 cases nationwide increased by 78 percent in the past week, with the positivity rate increasing to 15.98 percent.

“(However,) the (moderate) positivity rate is due to the low number of people who were tested for COVID-19. Hence, we expect that in the future, more testing (and tracking attempts) will be conducted to mitigate the new variants," he said.

As of November 3, 2022, a surge in cases was reported 30 provinces, the spokesperson informed.

"It shows that the pandemic still exists," he added.

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Translator: Zubi Mahrofi, Uyu Liman
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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