Indonesia reports first Omicron community transmission in Medan man visiting Jakarta

This article is more than 12 months old

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja

Dec 28, 2021 05:09 pm

JAKARTA - Indonesia has reported its first Omicron community transmission after a 37-year-old man, a resident of Medan in North Sumatra, tested positive for the variant during a trip to Jakarta with his wife.

The man, who has so far been asymptomatic, has been admitted to the Sulianto Saroso Infectious Diseases Hospital in North Jakarta for further evaluation and observation, Health Ministry Covid-19 spokesman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said in an online media briefing on Tuesday (Dec 28).

The man, who tested positive on Dec 20 after a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, was confirmed on Dec 27 to have the Omicron variant through a genome sequencing test.

He had visited a popular shopping mall in Jakarta's Central Business District and stayed in an apartment in North Jakarta.

"He did a lot of activities prior to him testing PCR positive. We are conducting contact tracing now, 14 days going backward from Dec 20. We will be testing the people at restaurants he visited, and the apartment (where) he stayed," Dr Nadia said.

Before the PCR test, he had tested positive on an antigen rapid test on Dec 19.

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Indonesia has so far reported 47 confirmed cases of Omicron and only this latest one is a community transmission.

The man does not have any recent record of travelling overseas, nor did he have any known contact with anyone who had returned from abroad.

He had resisted being evacuated from the apartment he stayed in, according to Dr Nadia.

The Medan resident frequently travelled to Jakarta with his wife, who has tested negative for the virus, Dr Nadia added. The couple had arrived in Jakarta on Dec 6.

"This first community transmission case has prompted us to tighten protocols for domestic travellers, as mobility would potentially lead to a case surge, especially ahead of the year-end break," Dr Nadia said.

"We have to make sure travellers using all modes of transportation have been fully vaccinated and have (at least) tested Antigen negative prior to departure," she added.