Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia recorded 20 cases of the COVID-19 Omicron BN.1 sub-variant since it was first detected in Riau Islands on September 16, 2022, according to the Health Ministry.
"We have found one variant that is different from the others. This is what we are monitoring to see whether it will lead to a spike in caseload in Indonesia," Chief of the Communication and Public Services Bureau at the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi stated here on Thursday.
Tarmizi said nine out of the 20 cases of the Omicron BN.1 sub-variant were reported in Jakarta; five in Central Java; three in Riau Islands; and one respectively in North Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.
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BN.1 is a sub-lineage of BA 2.75 that is the derivative of the Omicron variant. The first case of the Omicron BN.1 sub-variant was detected in India at the end of July 2022.
Currently, cases of the Omicron BN.1 sub-variant are reported in the United States, Britain, Austria, Australia, and India.
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The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) is currently monitoring this variant following an increase in BN.1 variant cases in the past month," she remarked.
Tarmizi said the global proportion of cases in the past week was 5.1 percent as compared to 4.4 percent a week earlier.
No sufficient data of transmission capacity and severity was available, she noted.
Tarmizi appealed to people to stay disciplined in implementing health protocols, including keeping physical distance, wearing masks, washing hands with running water, and accessing vaccination services at the nearby health center.
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