Currently, they (COVID-19 cases) are still (dominated by) the XBB variant, not XBB.1. Based on the investigation result, from 48 cases, 48 percent are in BatamJakarta (ANTARA) - Director General for Disease Prevention and Handling at the Ministry of Health Maxi Rein Rondonuwu stated that 48 percent of cases of the COVID-19 Omicron XBB sub-variant in Indonesia are found in Batam, Riau Islands.
“Currently, they (COVID-19 cases) are still (dominated by) the XBB variant, not XBB.1. Based on the investigation result, from 48 cases, 48 percent are in Batam,” he noted after the 2022 Role Model Health Workers Awards event here on Friday.
According to Rondonuwu, XBB cases in Batam are higher since the region is a transit point as well as the entry and exit gate closest to Singapore.
On the same occasion, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin also made a similar statement.
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“Most XBB cases are found in Batam because it is located near Singapore,” the minister stated.
Earlier, the Health Ministry's spokesperson, Mohammad Syahril, noted on Thursday that the Indonesian government is intensifying whole genome sequencing (WGS) amid an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.
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Meanwhile, government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling, Wiku Adisasmito, in a press conference on Thursday, appealed to members of the community to protect themselves through the booster vaccine and continuously strengthen the implementation of health protocols in their daily activities.
He also urged those experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or those who are close contacts of COVID-19 patients to get tested immediately.
In addition, the spokesperson urged regional governments to continuously monitor the development of COVID-19 cases in their respective regions and strengthen health protocols in public spaces.
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 10, 2022, the nation had recorded 6,544,201 COVID-19 cases, 6,339,381 recoveries, and 158,989 deaths.
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Translator: Suci Nurhaliza, Raka Adji
Editor: Fardah Assegaf
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