21st October 2022 – The Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin notified that the Covid-19 Omicron XBB subvariant has been identified in Indonesia. However, the Minister did not specify when and in which province the subvariant was found though he reassured that it is being supervised.
Sadikin mentioned the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has been under control. Compared to other countries, Indonesia did not experience an intense spike in cases of BA.4 and BA.5 subvariants.
All that is thanks to the cooperation of various parties, with Indonesian residents who remain obedient in wearing masks outdoors even if the Covid-19 trends have been decreasing.
He projects that the potential increase in January and February next year will be as well as in August in order for Indonesia to be one of the few countries with no spike in cases for 12 months.
The Omicron XBB subvariant or also known as BA.2.10 has been detected in several countries such as Australia, Bangladesh, Denmark, India, Japan, and the United States since August. So far, experts agreed that the Omicron XBB subvariant is more contagious compared to other variants.
The President of the Asia Pacific Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Paul Tambyah said that although the exact date has not been found, XBB is likely to be more infectious because of the significant increase in the number of infections.
As of now, symptoms of the Omicron XBB subvariant are relatively light, especially for those who have been vaccinated. One of them was reported by the Singapore Ministry of Health, which the country is experiencing a spike due to the subvariant.
Sore throat, cough and cold, and mild fever are some of the symptoms that would occur to those who have the XBB subvariant.
Although the symptoms are relatively mild, it is important for the public to remain vigilant as the XBB subvariant is suspected to be more contagious.
