On Wednesday, 16 new cases of COVID-19 infections (were reported, thereby) bringing the total number of cases in West Papua Province to increase to 105Manokwari, W Papua (ANTARA) - West Papua's administration appealed to residents to get booster shots and implement the government's health protocols, as the number of COVID-19 cases in the province continues to increase amid the emergence of the XBB sub-variant.
"On Wednesday, 16 new cases of COVID-19 infections (were reported, thereby) bringing the total number of cases in West Papua Province to increase to 105," West Papua's COVID-19 Task Force spokesperson, Arnold Tiniap, stated.
The number of COVID-19 cases have, so far, been found in 11 districts and cities, except for the districts of South Sorong and Arfak, he noted in a statement on Thursday.
Significant number of COVID-19 cases had been detected in Sorong City reaching 20, as well as in the districts of Manokwari, Teluk Bintuni, and Raja Ampat, with 21, 18, and 17 cases respectively, he stated.
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As part of preventive measures, Tiniap said personnel of the COVID-19 task force and related government agencies continue to encourage locals to get vaccinated and comply with the health protocols.
The spread of the XBB sub-variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in several Indonesian provinces, and its transmission level could likely be faster than that of the Omicron sub-variant, he noted.
"Thus, if the positivity rate increases significantly, whole genome sequencing needs to be conducted to know exactly the spread of the XBB sub-variant in the province," he added.
Coronavirus infections initially surfaced in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Since then, they have spread to over 215 countries and territories, including Indonesia.
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The Indonesian government officially confirmed the country's first cases on March 2, 2020. To tackle the spread of COVID-19, the government launched a national vaccination program on January 13, 2021.
Currently, several countries are striving to cope with the spread of the XBB sub-variant.
The Indonesian Health Ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, said recently that the XBB sub-variant has been detected in 28 countries.
In Indonesia, the ministry has recorded at least 12 cases of the XBB and XBB.1 Omicron sub-variants, including two cases from overseas travelers arriving from Singapore, he said.
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Translator: HA Kapisa, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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