“(The implementation of) health protocols must be made stricter in line with accelerating booster vaccinations,” he noted here on Thursday.
The governor made the statement in response to the finding of Central Java residents being infected with the XBB subvariant of Omicron.
According to Pranowo, mask wearing and booster vaccinations should be strengthened.
“For (accelerating) booster (vaccinations), we reallocate (vaccine doses) to support regions that are quite diligent in conducting booster vaccinations,” he said.
Pranowo emphasized that the community will remain safe amid the emergence of the new variant by implementing strict health protocols.
According to Health Office Head of Central Java, Yunita Syah Suminar, six patients in the province spread across Semarang, Jepara, and Grobogan are infected with the XBB variant.
Related news: New sub-variants triggering COVID spike: minister
Earlier, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin noted that the recent increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in Indonesia had been caused by the emergence of three new sub-variants.
"COVID-19 cases in Indonesia are increasing due to new variants. There are three new variants, BA2.75, XBB, and BQ1. BQ1 constitutes most cases in Indonesia," he remarked in Surabaya on Wednesday.
The new sub-variants are characterized by rapid transmission that has resulted in a spike in infections, he remarked.
The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of November 9, 2022, the nation had recorded 6,537,907 COVID-19 cases, 6,335,158 recoveries, and 158,952 deaths.
Meanwhile, the task force data showed that as of November 9, 2022, Central Java had recorded 645,556 cases, 608,201 recoveries, and 33,671 deaths.
Related news: Intensify COVID-19 testing capacity amid XBB case spike: Minister
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Translator: Wisnu Adhi, Raka Adji
Editor: Suharto
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