Beware of Omicron “Trojan Horse” in Households

Many cases of Covid-19 are spread through close contact with people with mild symptoms or none at all, so public vigilance must be maintained.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

The traffic situation on Jalan Raya Puncak in Cisarua, Bogor Regency, West Java, when the one-way system was implemented because it was crowded with tourists during the weekend, Sunday (13/2/2022). Although cases of the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 have increased in a number of places, the flow of tourism to Puncak does not appear to have tightened.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The country’s Covid-19 cases have multiplied rapidly over the past month, with new cases on 12 Feb., 2022, reaching 55,209, almost equaling the peak of the second wave of infections on 15 July, 2021 with 56,757 new cases.

The current surge in Covid-19 cases has been blamed on Omicron variant, which spreads faster than the Delta variant.

Many people infected with the Omicron variant are asymptomatic or experience mild symptoms, but the variant can still trigger severe symptoms if it infects vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, people with comorbidities, children or those who have not been vaccinated against Covid-19. Therefore, the Omicron variant should not be underestimated.

Showing no symptoms or mild symptoms, an infected person may feel fine yet carry the threat of infecting others. The variant looks like a "Trojan horse" that enters the family silently but perilously.

Also read:

> Omicron is Not the End

> Case Surge Expands Beyond Java

Gadjah Mada University epidemiologist Riris Andono Ahmad called on people to restrict their mobility to reduce the risk of transmission. She warned against ignoring Omicron because of its relatively light symptoms, while in fact it could put family members at risk.

"[People with high mobility] might carry risk to their families, especially the elderly, people who have comorbidities and children," she said when contacted in Jakarta on Saturday (12/2/2022).

Masdalina Pane, who heads the development division of the Indonesian Epidemiologists Association (PAEI), pointed out the need for the public to maintain awareness about Covid-19 transmission threats. She said the small percentage of deaths from the Omicron variant could still overburden health facilities and cause a high number of deaths if cases surged further.

“If daily cases increase six-fold, even though the percentage of patients admitted to hospitals and deaths may be smaller, the [gross mortality] number will still be large, not to mention if the cases spread outside Java and Bali [to places that have more] limited health infrastructure. The efforts to break the chain of transmission must be carried out effectively," she said.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Residents cycle in the Penjaringan area, North Jakarta, Sunday (13/2/2022). This week, PPKM level 3 has been implemented in Jakarta to control the surge in new cases of Covid-19, especially those caused by the Omicron variant. However, residents' discipline to maintain health protocols is still being neglected.

The Health Ministry has reported an increasing number of Omicron cases, with local transmission being more dominant. As of 11 Feb., 2022, Indonesia recorded as many as 5,027 cases of the Omicron variant, and 43.8 percent of the patients were infected through local transmissions, 37.5 percent by international travelers, and the rest were still under epidemiological screening.

The reports say Omicron transmission was detected in 40 regencies or municipalities in 13 provinces, namely Jakarta (2,035 cases), East Java (60), Papua (21), Banten (20), West Java (17), Bali (16), North Sumatra (15), Central Java (9), Lampung (5), West Nusa Tenggara (2), Riau, South Sulawesi and South Sumatra (1).

If the infected are young, they will probably be fine. However, when they return home and engage with their parents, the situation will be not that simple.

According to the sequencing data of the whole genome of SARS-CoV-2 samples in the Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID), from 1 to 13 Feb., 2022, as many as 2,544 of the 3,141 reported samples were of the Omicron variant.

Tjandra Yoga Aditama, former Southeast Asia director of the World Health Organization (WHO), said that some infected people were reluctant to get tested for Covid-19 because they were experiencing relatively mild symptoms.

"If the infected are young, they will probably be fine. However, when they return home and engage with their parents, the situation will be not that simple," he said.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Residents enjoy the atmosphere of Monas from behind a fence in Gambir, Central Jakarta, Thursday (10/2/2022). The cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 are increasing and surpassing the wave of cases of the Delta variant.

Risk management

While lamenting what she saw as the weakening level of public discipline about Covid-19 prevention, Masdalina said the peak of infection, which would be the third wave of cases in Indonesia, could not be predicted.

She said the government had not built enough communication channels to prevent the community from relaxing its defense system against the pandemic. Although most cases were asymptomatic or carried mild symptoms, transmission of Omicron was still dangerous, she said.

“The number of cases is increasing […]. This means that our containment is not effective. The current condition is that there is no intervention to reduce the spread of cases," Masdalina said.

The transmission speed of the Omicron variant is evident. In the Delta variant, each person infected, on average, infects two to four other people, while someone with the Omicron variant can infect 10 to 20 people, depending on how many people they interact with.

Also read:

> Overcoming Omicron and Future Variants

> Protecting Children and the Elderly from Covid-19

The incubation period of Omicron is also reported to be faster than the previous strains. While previously the incubation period was two to 14 days, the Omicron variant has an incubation period of less than two days. With the patients showing no symptoms, the transmission of Omicron variant is easier and faster.

Didik Budijanto, the Health Ministry’s director of prevention and control of infectious diseases, said the ministry had carried out anticipatory measures by heightening the coordination of all stakeholders and strengthening resources, enhancing health promotion, testing, tracing and isolation, as well as accelerating the vaccination rollout.

"We are also strengthening telemedicine services for patients undergoing self-isolation. A total of 17 telemedicine service platforms have worked together to serve the community," he said.

This article was translated by Musthofid