The number of (confirmed) BF7 cases is 15, and there is no increase
Jakarta (ANTARA) - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin clarified that people's travel or dynamics did not really affect the spike in COVID-19 cases, but rather, it was caused by the emergence of new variants.

"Indeed, the spike in the COVID-19 wave was caused by a new variant. The scientific data is like that, not by (travel or dynamics). That is minor," Minister Sadikin stated at the Muhammadiyah Da'wah Center Building here on Tuesday.

He explained that the current significant increase in cases in some countries in Europe and China was due to the BA.5, BA.2.75, and BF7 variants. The three variants have entered Indonesia.

However, Indonesia was already past the peak of the increase in BA5.2 and B.2.75 cases, he pointed out. When the world was riddled by a spike in cases from the two variants, the contrary was observed in Indonesia.

The BF7 variant, which was found in Indonesia in July 2022 in Bali, did not cause a significant increase in cases.

"The number of (confirmed) BF7 cases is 15, and there is no increase," he stated.

The minister said that the controlled rate of the cases was owing to community's immune system that had been formed. Some gained it through vaccination while some others through the infection itself, thereby resulting in strong immunity.

It was different from the situation in China. The country, which imposed a strict lockdown, prevented people's natural immunity from forming, thereby leading to a spike in cases, he pointed out.

"We, thank God that the immunity of our population is strong through a combination of vaccination and infection. Hence, there are some occasions in which we inject something artificially, but (there are also some occasions where) it naturally occurs. Hence, in China, because the lockdown is very strict, what is natural is not as much as in Indonesia. Therefore, (natural immunity) is not formed," he stated.

Based on the condition, the government then revoked the Rules for Restricting Community Activities.

"Hence, we do not feel the need to impose stricter community activities because their immunity (rate) is already high," he concluded.

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Translator: Asep Firmansyah, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Sri Haryati
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