Jakarta, CNN Indonesia –
Chairman of the Covid-19 Task Force for the Executive Board of the Indonesian Doctors Association (PB IDI) Zubairi Djoerban suspected that the person was exposed to the mutation virus corona varian B117 already more than six people as recently reported by the government.
Zubairi said the technique of searching for virus strains using the Whole Genome Sequence (WGS) method to detect these variants was carried out randomly. This means that each individual positive case finding of Covid-19 through an indirect swab test is then also examined using WGS.
“So, according to my guess, it has spread from more than what was reported,” said Zubairi when contacted CNNIndonesia.com, Friday (12/3).
With this condition, Zubairi asked the government to tighten the doors of arrivals from abroad. Apart from that, the government was also asked to impose tighter restrictions on implementing community restrictions.
“For example, the government always says to keep your distance, but the reality is that, for example, at busy times the KRL is still full, public buses are still standing at a distance,” he said.
Zubairi hopes that the B117 variant does not bring much increase in Covid-19 cases in Indonesia. He then highlighted the sloping of the Covid-19 case that occurred in Indonesia in the last two weeks.
Daily Covid-19 cases in the last two weeks were under seven thousand. In fact, it was recorded that Thursday (11/3), additional positive cases of Covid-19 were at their lowest point, namely 5,144 cases.
“The number of new cases is currently below 9 thousand, hopefully it means that the old virus combination B117 does not cause the number to increase dramatically,” he said.
Contacted separately, University of Indonesia epidemiologist Pandu Riono estimated that the B117 corona virus had spread in Indonesia since 2020. The British virus is known to have characteristics that are easy to spread.
Guiding doubts that the corona virus variant has only spread this year. According to him, last year the government was still less massive and serious about searching for virus strains using the WGS method.
“I think the B117 variant has been around since a year ago and has now spread. What the government reports is only what has been found, of course there are still many,” said Pandu.
Six cases of the B117 corona virus were found in several regions of Indonesia. The Covid-19 Task Force mentioned three cases in DKI Jakarta and one each in South Kalimantan, North Sumatra and South Sumatra.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the six cases of B117 corona were found in Karawang, including two cases and one each in South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan and North Sumatra.
(khr / fra)
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