Jakarta's Omicron Cases Surge to 498

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Health Agency Head of Disease Prevention and Control Division, Dwi Oktavia, said the daily number of COVID-19 Omicron cases reached 498 as of January 11. The figure increased by 91 from previously 407.

“Of the 498 infected people, 82.1 percent or 409 cases are in international travelers,” Dwi said in a written statement yesterday, adding that 57 cases originated from the local transmission. 

According to her, there was no addition of cases from the local transmission. However, Dwi encouraged the public to stay vigilant of the virus spread given the rising case numbers.

As of Wednesday, Jan. 11, Jakarta recorded 547 new confirmed cases, the highest daily number in 2022. The daily case numbers previously rose below 100 but it started to see an upward trend of 100-300 cases per day recently.

The city’s COVID-19 active cases also increased by 354, pushing the number of people undergoing treatment or isolation to 2,483. Dwi also underlined that the active and daily cases were dominated by international travelers.

“It should be underlined that 1,910 of the number of active cases are international travelers,” Dwi explained.

Jakarta’s COVID-19 weekly positivity rate, meanwhile, was recorded at 2.6 percent. The total rate was at 10.9 percent. The World Health Organization (WHO) sets the recommended standard at below five percent.

Read: Indonesia's COVID-19 Cases Rising in Past 2 Weeks: Task Force

LANI DIANA WIJAYA