The uneven vaccination rate could allow for mutations in the Covid-19 virus. The government is therefore prioritizing expansion and the equitable distribution of the vaccine program rather than third-dose coverage.
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DEONISIA ARLINTA/ AHMAD ARIF
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AFP/MOHD RASFAN
Passengers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) queue to check-in for their flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on November 29, 2021, as countries across the globe shut borders and renewed travel curbs in response to the spread of a new, heavily mutated Covid-19 coronavirus variation dubbed Omicron.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is spreading across various countries. Although no cases have been reported in Indonesia as of yet, vigilance for infections caused by the newly detected variant should be heightened, especially by intensifying genomic surveillance, health protocol observance and the vaccination program.
Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the Health Ministry’s infectious disease prevention and control director, said in Jakarta on Wednesday (1/12/2021) that 23 countries had reported cases of the Omicron on 30 Nov. 2021, including South Africa, Belgium, Hong Kong, Britain, Japan and Switzerland. Total reported cases of this variant had increased from 161 to 249.
“We should step up our alertness. We can make several efforts, such as consistently complying with the health protocols even if we have been vaccinated, following up on detected cases with testing to determine the variant type, intensifying contact tracing and accelerating vaccination,” she said.
First-dose coverage in 25 provinces reached below 70 percent, while second-dose coverage was less than 40 percent in just 20 provinces.
According to data on 1 Dec. 2021, Indonesia’s Covid-19 vaccine program has reached 67.4 percent of the targeted 208.2 million people in first-dose coverage and 46.5 percent in second-dose coverage. However, vaccine coverage remained uneven across the country. First-dose coverage in 25 provinces reached below 70 percent, while second-dose coverage was less than 40 percent in just 20 provinces.
The uneven vaccination rate could allow for mutations in the Covid-19 virus. The government is therefore prioritizing expansion and the equitable distribution of the vaccine program rather than third-dose coverage.
ISTIMEWA/KEMENTERIAN KESEHATAN
Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the Health Ministry’s infectious disease prevention and control director.
“The protection provided by the vaccines will be maximized even more if more people are vaccinated,” said Nadia.
Earlier emergence of Omicron
The World Health Organization (WHO) has appealed to all countries to remain calm and respond rationally to the Omicron variant. At the same time, it noted that the Omicron variant had been spreading in Nigeria before it was first detected and identified in South Africa.
The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) said in a written statement on Wednesday (1/12) that the country had confirmed the first cases of Omicron among samples from travelers who had arrived in October. This indicated that the first cases had emerged several weeks before South Africa had reported the new variant.
Kompas
Pupils wearing masks play study at the Kgololo Academy in Johannesburg's Alexandra township Tuesday Nov. 30, 2021. Despite the global worry, doctors in South Africa are reporting patients victim of COVID-19 omicron variant are suffering mostly mild symptoms so far. But they warn that it is early and most of the new cases are in people in their 20s and 30s, who generally do not get as sick from COVID-19 as older patients.
“Retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed Covid-19 cases in travelers to Nigeria identified the Omicron variant among samples collected in October 2021,” NCDC said, as quoted by Reuters. (TAN/AIK)
