Indonesia detects first locally transmitted Covid-19 XBB case
Indonesia has detected the new XBB strain of the Omicron variant in the community for the first time, and the authorities are advising people to stick to health protocols, especially wearing masks, and take booster jabs.
The first confirmed case caused by the XBB subvariant was a 29-year-old woman who lives in Surabaya, East Java, and had a history of travel to Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara, Health Ministry spokesman Mohammad Syahril said on Saturday.
She showed symptoms, including fever, a runny nose and cough. “She underwent an examination and tested positive on Sept 26,” he said.
The patient was isolated in Surabaya, and tested negative for Covid-19 on Oct 3.
Ten close contacts were identified by the health authorities and all tested negative.
Dr Syahril noted that the XBB subvariant caused a spike in the number of Covid-19 infections in Singapore and a rise in hospital admissions.
However, he said that although XBB is highly transmissible, its fatality rate is not greater than other strains of the Omicron variant.
Indonesia reported 2,227 new Covid-19 cases on Friday, bringing the total number to 6.47 million. Deaths rose by 18, making the current figure of 158,398. Over the past week, the number of new cases was rising across 24 provinces.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Friday that another spike in Covid-19 cases is expected in January to February.
Dr Syahril advised the public to take their booster jabs to reduce the risk of illness and death.
Only 64.8 million people, or 27.6 percent of the 234.7 million targeted population, have taken the third shot as at Saturday, according to the Health Ministry.
The confirmed case of the XBB subvariant comes at a time when a number of people are facing difficulties getting inoculated as vaccination centers impose quotas on the number of jabs given. Some centers have even shut temporarily.
The authorities attributed this problem to a shortage of vaccines and said it will be solved by end October.
In response to the detection of the new strain, the authorities have stepped up border controls and checks on arrivals of both Indonesians and foreigners from overseas.
“We are tightening surveillance at our gateways, especially in Batam and Jakarta,” said on Saturday Dr Siti Nadia Tarmizi, Health Ministry’s head of communication and public service division.
She added that all confirmed cases must be examined by whole genome sequencing.