Health Office ascertain no B117 variant in Tapin, South Kalimantan

Rantau, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Head of Disease Control and Prevention (P2P) of the Tapin Health Office Nurul Hidayah on Thursday stated there were no more cases of COVID-19 variant B117 entering the district.

Regarding the report of the Director of P2P of the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi in Jakarta on Monday that there were 145 cases of the Variant of Concern (VOC)
detected that were believed to be more virulent and spread more rapidly. They were spreading in Indonesia, one of which in Tapin, South Kalimantan.

Representing the head of Tapin Health Agency, Nurul explained that the B117 case had indeed been detected in February 2021 to enter Tapin, but it has been handled.

"Last February it was detected that one resident from Bandung was infected with B117 variant and entered Tapin. She was the wife of one of the employees of a contractor working on a national strategic project (the Tapin Dam)," said Nurul to AntaranewsKalsel reporter.

When handling the case, the Tapin Health Office carried out an epidemiological investigation with representatives of the Ministry of Health (surveillance), Health Ministry’s Environmental Health and Disease Control Centers (BBTKLPP) Banjarbaru, along with an alliance of community health centers (puskesmas) to take close contact samples.

"Approximately 40 samples taken, all were close contacts with the B117 case, we sent them to Health Research and Development Agency (Litbangkes) of the Health Ministry, Alhamdulillah (Thank God) all of the results were negative," she explained.

So why Tapin is still mentioned by the ministry, she said maybe because the data was still recorded that B117 was found is Tapin.

"Alhamdulillah the close contact with the PE results did not reveal any more cases from the sample examined. Tapin Health Office has confirmed that until now there has been no more new case of COVID-19 variant B117," she explained.