Beware of the Omicron XBB Variant: These Provinces Report the Highest Number of Active COVID-19 Cases

Active Covid-19 cases in Indonesia have begun to climb over the past week. According to a report from the Covid-19 Handling Task Force, the number of active Covid-19 cases in Indonesia reached 19,385 as of October 23, 2022.

This figure represents an increase of 466 cases from the previous day. Compared to a week earlier, active Covid-19 cases increased by 12.61%.

By province, DKI Jakarta dominated national active Covid-19 cases on October 23, 2022, with 5,432 cases. This figure is equivalent to 28.02% of the total active Covid-19 cases in Indonesia.

West Java ranked second with a total of 4,633 active Covid-19 cases. This was followed by Central Java, Banten, East Java, and Yogyakarta Special Region, which recorded 1,810, 1,140, 1,107, and 825 active Covid-19 cases, respectively.

In total, approximately 6.47 million people in Indonesia have been infected with Covid-19 up to October 23, 2022. 2.44% of them died, and 97.25% have recovered.

The increase in active cases in Indonesia, particularly in several provinces, should be a cause for concern. The government has announced that the Omicron XBB subvariant has been detected in the country.

The first case of Omicron XBB was detected in a 29-year-old woman who had recently returned from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The woman, who tested positive for Covid-19 on September 26, 2022, experienced symptoms such as cough, runny nose, and fever.

This new Omicron subvariant has reportedly been detected in 24 countries. Omicron XBB has also caused a sharp surge in Covid-19 cases in Singapore, accompanied by an increasing trend in hospitalizations.

Therefore, the Ministry of Health's Covid-19 spokesperson, Dr. M. Syahril, urged the public to always prioritize health protocols such as wearing masks, avoiding crowds, washing hands, and getting tested if experiencing Covid-19 symptoms. He also encouraged people to get Covid-19 vaccinations to increase protection against virus transmission.

"Get a booster shot if you haven't already, to reduce illness and death from Covid-19," said Syahril, as quoted from SehatNegeriku on Saturday (October 22). He added that the Ministry of Health has also increased surveillance of the arrival of Indonesian and foreign nationals at the country's entry points.