"People do not need to panic regarding the COVID-19 variant. The current condition in Jakarta is under control even though there has been an increase in cases," the head of immunization surveillance at the Jakarta Health Service, Ngabila Salama, informed in Jakarta on Thursday.
She said that the monitoring conducted as of Thursday did not detect any infection caused by the Arcturus variant, which is currently reported to have caused an increase in cases in India.
Salama highlighted that the COVID-19 situation in Jakarta is under control even though there has been an increase in cases in the past few days, but this has not been accompanied by an increase in deaths and hospitalizations.
However, she urged the community not to underestimate the long-term threat of COVID-19. Therefore, it is better to prevent virus transmission by wearing a mask in crowded places, on public transportation, or when the person is sick.
"We ask the public to avoid meeting people who are sick," she added.
Salama also appealed to the public to continue working together to control the severity of symptoms due to COVID-19 and prevent death by completing the vaccine dose up to the second booster for ages 18 and over.
“Please complete the vaccination while the government is still providing it for free. Currently, the available vaccine brands are Pfizer, Inavac, and Indovac," she disclosed.
She informed that the Pfizer vaccine can be given to children aged 12 years and older, while the domestically produced vaccines, namely Inavac and Indovac, can be given to ages 18 and over.
"The first and second doses can be different brands, and the fourth dose follows the third dose brand," she said.
She also assured that the Jakarta Health Service will continue to routinely monitor genome sequencing to prevent new variants from spreading in Jakarta.
Related news: Need to anticipate COVID transmission during homecoming: Minister
Related news: COVID-19 recoveries climb by 319: task force
Translator: Hreeloita Dharma S, Resinta S
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
