Indoneisa Identifies 26 Cases of New Covid-19 Strains
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Laila Afifa
Selasa, 18 Mei 2021 17:02 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin in a Youtube video announced the update of the situation regarding new Covid-19 strains that have entered Indonesia. The three detected variants are: B.1.1.7 from the United Kingdom, B.1.617 from India, and the B.1.351 from South Africa.
“Out of the new four [Coronavirus] mutations, three have entered Indonesia with 26 cases identified,” said the Health Minister on May 18.
Budi Gunadi reminded the Covid-19 task force members, and the local healthcare officials that the new coronavirus strains will accelerate viral transmissions. By the end of April, the Minister announced only 10 cases were found but has now increased to 26 in just a matter of weeks.
“The transmission rate is very high, we must be very careful. It has increased to 26 from just 16 last week,” said the Minister.
In the video, he urged Health Agencies to exponentially increase the number of testing and tracing to prevent a case surge. “We must test more aggressively to be able to track down where they are,” he said.
Read: Health Ministry Responds to New COVID-19 Variant Cases in Sumatra
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