TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Research and Technology Minister, and National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) head Bambang Brodjonegoro said a new variant of coronavirus that caused Covid-19 had not been found in Indonesia thus far.

"There is now no evidence showing that this new variant has existed or has spread in Indonesia," said Bambang in a discussion on Thursday, December 24, 2020.

However, he admitted that the country’s genomic and molecular surveillance was not as advanced as the United Kingdom (UK) which discovered it last September.

The public must remain vigilant of the increasing trend of Covid-19 cases and a higher risk of virus transmission, he underlined. Moreover, two neighboring countries, Singapore and Australia, had reported the new virus strain.

“They found one case. This means, we must be more careful because it is getting closer,” Bambang underlined.

According to the minister, there has been no proof that the new coronavirus strain causes more severe illness or increased risk of death thus far. Based on the existing data, it does spread faster from human to human, he added.

Thus, Bambang opined that evidence, information, and further study were required, as well as conducting an intensive whole-genome sequencing against SARS-CoV-2. “The most vital thing is to share data between countries and institutions that carry out whole-genome sequencing in Indonesia,” he said.

Read: Singapore Confirms First Case of New Coronavirus Variant Found in UK

FRISKI RIANA