Covid-19 Task Force Looking Into the Spread of Delta Variant
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Laila Afifa
Rabu, 16 Juni 2021 17:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The national Covid-19 task force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito in an official statement on Wednesday said the team will continue to investigate and trace the root cause of the spread of the delta variant (B.1.617.2) in Indonesia.
He said that the task force is attempting to map out the viral spread through whole genome sequencing (WGS), despite it has yet to completely reach the entire Indonesian regions.
“The research needs WGS or larger sets of samples. One day later we will be able to determine where the virus came from, where it entered from, and how far it has spread,” said the task force spokesperson on June 16.
He asserted that the virus can potentially continue to mutate as new infections continue to spread among members of the public. However, Wiku assured people that the Covid-19 vaccines that are currently used by the government are still highly effective since the vaccines’ efficacy are above 50 percent.
Citing the Health Ministry’s data on June 13, there are 104 cases involving the Covid-19 delta variant across five provinces, namely South Sumatra, Jakarta, Central Java, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
Read: Indonesian Health Ministry: 47 Cases of New Covid Variants Imported
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