TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said that the number of Omicron cases in Indonesia as of today has reached 1,600 since it was first discovered in mid-December 2021.

“We report that it has been confirmed that 1,600 [COVID-19 patients] have been exposed to Omicron variant,” said Budi at a press conference on Monday, January 24.

He said the surge in cases of the variant of concern was as predicted by the government. “In all countries, Omicron cases will rise rapidly and high, even more than the increase in Delta cases. But the good news is that the decline is also fast and hospitalizations are also low,” he remarked.

Of the total 1,600 cases, he claimed that only 20 patients were treated at hospitals and needed oxygen. “And two people died. This figure is still far, very low compared to the Delta cases,” Budi added.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, ensured that the health service system is ready to anticipate a spike in COVID-19 cases.

"The government ensures that today we have been quite ready to face Omicron, much more prepared than the previous Delta variant. We ask the public to continue to obey health protocols and follow the government's advice not to travel abroad,” Luhut underlined.

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DEWI NURITA