Warning: Indonesia's Omicron Cases Rank 6th in Asia

A GISAID report indicates 7,819 cases of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of the Covid-19 virus across 28 Asian countries/regions as of Wednesday, January 12, 2022. Indonesia ranked sixth in Asia, reporting 432 Omicron variant cases as of January 12, 2022.

Israel topped the list in Asia with 3,296 Omicron variant cases. India and Turkey recorded 810 and 748 cases, respectively.

Singapore and Japan detected 715 and 685 Omicron variant cases, respectively. Following Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, and Russia reported 326, 234, and 133 Omicron variant cases, respectively. Hong Kong recorded 77 cases.

The GISAID report also stated that 115 countries worldwide had detected Omicron variant cases, totaling 273,777 cases globally. The United Kingdom accounted for 45% of these new variant cases.

The Ministry of Health stated that the majority of Omicron cases originated from international travelers. Therefore, it urged the public to postpone any planned overseas trips.

Furthermore, the public is urged to consistently adhere to health protocols: wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and washing hands with soap.