Selangor Journal
A healthcare worker wearing personal protective equipment suits (PPE) takes a swab sample from an elderly man with mental illness to test for Covid-19 at a social home in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 23, 2021. — Picture by REUTERS

Indonesia detects first case of Covid-19 Omicron variant

JAKARTA, Dec 16 — The Indonesian Health Ministry has detected its first case of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in a member of the cleaning staff at the country’s largest isolation centre at Wisma Atlet, North Jakarta.

“Last night, we detected a patient with the initial N who confirmed positive for Omicron variant on December 15,” Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said in a virtual press briefing today.

The patient N was one of three cleaning staff who tested positive for Covid-19 during the routine testing for frontline workers on December 10.

Based on genome sequencing, the patient N tested positive for Omicron, Budi said, adding that the public must remain vigilant and obey the applicable rules according to health protocols.

As of yesterday, Indonesia recorded 205 new Covid-19 cases, raising the total number of people infected to 4,259,644.

— Bernama

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