VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Some 68 additional confirmed cases of Omicron were recorded in Indonesia on December 31, 2021, the Health Ministry’s spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, noted in a statement here on Saturday.

"Thus, the total number of confirmed Omicron cases in Indonesia has reached 136," she stated.

The spokesperson noted that the 68 new patients comprised international travelers. Out of the total figure, some 11 were Indonesian citizens.

"Most of them just arrived from Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States," she noted.

With regard to the patients’ condition, 29 were asymptomatic, 29 exhibited mild symptoms, one showed moderate symptoms, while the condition of the rest was still unclear.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has forecast that based on the transmission rate and the risk of severity of the virus, the new Omicron variant can be causal to a swifter surge in the number of cases as compared to the Delta strain.

Moreover, Tarmizi stated that despite the high transmission rate of the Omicron variant, it had a low risk of causing serious illness.

"However, so far, there is a lower bed occupancy rate at health facilities as compared to the peak period of transmission of the Delta variant," she remarked.

Nonetheless, the people should stay vigilant since the situation may change quickly.

"Hence, COVID-19 prevention and mitigation endeavors must continue to be made,” Tarmizi emphasized.

Furthermore, the spokesperson urged the public to refrain from traveling to countries with very high transmission of the Omicron variant, such as Saudi Arabia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and the United States.

"Please, do not be selfish. You must refrain from traveling abroad. We must work together to protect the people around us from COVID-19. Let us hold back (from having a vacation abroad)," she added.

Taking into account the fact that the Omicron variant can spread quickly, the government has planned to administer booster vaccination to the general public in January 2022.

Earlier, the booster doses were only given to medical workers. (Antaranews)