The President told those on duty at the border to heighten surveillance to detect the Omicron variant.
By
Kompas Team
·4 minutes read
AFP/MOHD RASFAN
A passenger wearing a face mask queues to check-in for her 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.
Indonesia is on alert after the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was discovered in several neighboring countries. In addition to tightening the borders, authorities will have to enhance genomic surveillance.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The spread of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus is reportedly widespread. It has been detected in neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia. A preliminary study by South African scientists shows that the variant is three times more likely to trigger reinfection than Delta or Beta.
Regarding the issue, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo appealed to the public to be vigilant. "This threat is not over yet. Beware of a fourth wave from the Omicron variant," the President said when briefing the heads of the 2021 regional units in Badung regency, Bali, on Friday (3/12/2021).
The President told those on duty at the border to heighten surveillance to detect the Omicron variant. His call was particularly addressed to the regional police headquarters near borders with other countries.
“Because those who carry [infections] can be foreigners. However, they can also be our citizens, especially the workers returning home from overseas," the President said.
The heightened surveillance measures should include increased genomic examination, because – according to Pandu Riono, an epidemiologist from the Public Health School at the University of Indonesia – the Omicron variant is suspected to have entered Indonesia, given the discovery of the cases in a neighboring country.
Although Indonesia has yet to report an Omicron infection, he said the variant might been missed because of minimal genomic examination.
The vaccinated student developed no symptoms.
Neighboring Malaysia reported the first case of the Omicron variant in a foreign female student from South Africa. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said yesterday that the student had arrived from South Africa two weeks prior and had been undergoing quarantine. The vaccinated student developed no symptoms.
Authorities in Malaysia are currently administering a retest of positive samples following the World Health Organization (WHO)’s call on 24 Nov. for the world to stay vigilant over the Omicron 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.
On Thursday (2/12), Singapore's health ministry confirmed two cases of Omicron in two flight passengers from South Africa. The two patients were admitted to the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID).
A preliminary study in South Africa shows that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is three times more likely to trigger reinfection than the Delta or Beta variants in individuals who have been infected with Covid-19.
The report was brought up by Juliet RC Pulliam and her team from South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) on the medical preprint server medRxiv.org on Thursday (2/12).
The study provides epidemiological evidence of Omicron's ability to evade immunity from previous infections.
While having yet to be certified by peer review, the preprint article reveals 35,670 cases of suspected reinfection among 2.8 million people who had a positive test result at least 90 days prior to 27 Nov.
Pulliam said the reinfections had been seen in individuals whose primary infections occurred across all three waves, with the most affected by the Delta variant.
Anticipatory measures
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in Nusa Dua, Badung, that despite no Omicron case having been detected yet in Indonesia, citizens should comply strictly with health protocols so that the transmission of Covid-19 remained under control.
TANGKAPAN LAYAR
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.
Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, the ministry’s acting director for disease prevention and control, said Indonesia’s borders had been temporarily closed to travelers from some of the countries that had confirmed Omicron cases.
According to Covid-19 task force circular No. 23/2021, the borders have been temporarily closed to arrivals from 11 countries following the WHO announcement on 2 Dec. that a total of 390 Omicron cases had been found in 31 countries.
"We will regularly evaluate the regulations," Maxi said.
For foreign nationals or Indonesian citizens traveling from countries where the Omicron variant has not been detected, a quarantine of 10 days will be required, up from the previous seven days.
Maxi said genomic surveillance on samples from COVID-19 patients had been enhanced with genome sequencing performed on Covid-19 cases at home and abroad. This was necessary to detect new variants in Indonesia, he added.
World Health Organization director for the western Pacific Takeshi Kasai said in Manila, the Philippines, that people should not only rely on border measures but should prepare for these variants with high potential transmissibility.
Of the 37 western Pacific countries, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and South Korea have reported cases of Omicron.
Kasai urged governments to remain consistent with pandemic handling measures. (AIK/TAN/MHD/SAM/AP/AFP/REUTERS/RAZ)
