Indonesia Confirms First Omicron Case

TheIndonesia.co - The Ministry of Health confirmed one Omicron case in Indonesia, the first to be detected in the territory.

Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday, December 16, that the Ministry received confirmation on Wednesday, that sample belonging to a patient was detected to have been infected with Omicron.

“Last night, the Ministry detected a patient N to test positive for Omicron on December 15, 2021. We confirmed the data to GISAID [data-sharing platform focusing on genomic data of influenza viruses and the coronavirus]; it’s the sequencing of Omicron,” Sadikin said during a virtual press conference on Thursday.

He also revealed that the patient is a cleaner who works in Wisma Atlet, one of quarantine locations in Jakarta.

The Minister said three cleaners previously tested positive for COVID-19 after taking PCR test. They reportedly showed no symptoms, but one out of the three samples was detected to have been infected with the Omicron variant. Then, on December 8, the Ministry took the patient’s sample for genome sequencing and sent it to GISAID. On December 10, the result came back.

The other two patients have recovered and returned to their duties in Wisma Atlet after tested negative.

Furthermore, Sadikin also reported that authorities have also detected five probable Omicron cases, involving Indonesians and foreigners who previously traveled abroad. Two Indonesians returned from the United States and the United Kingdom, and they’re currently quarantined in Wisma Atlet. The other three are Chinese nationals who’d visited Manado and are now still quarantined in the city.

Genome sequencing for their samples are still taking place in research and development unit at the Ministry.

Lastly, Minister Sadikin warned the public not to overly panic. Instead, he asked everyone to even more rigorously implement health protocols to contain the ongoing spread of the coronavirus.

“Public shouldn’t worry and should continue their daily activities normally. What’s important is to stay alert by obeying the health protocols. Always wear mask and maintain physical distance,” he reminded.