The XBB and BQ.1 sub-variants of Omicron have started to dominate COVID-19 cases in Indonesia, according to Health Ministry spokesperson Mohammad Syahril.

“The XBB, BQ.1 new variants now have reached 25 percent of the cases proportion. Later, they may replace the previous variants,” he said at a press conference that was followed online from here on Wednesday.

Based on a report from the Ministry of Health, the new variants were detected for the first time in Indonesia on September 25, 2022, with 37 cases of XBB and 50 cases of BQ.1 recorded as of September 30.

The variants were detected in 10 provinces—Bali, Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, West Kalimantan, Bangka Belitung Islands, Lampung, North Sumatra, and Riau.

According to Syahril, in the past month, around 10 thousand COVID-19 patients were treated in hospitals, and 5 percent of them underwent intensive care.

“Of the around 10 thousand cases, 84 percent patients had not received the booster dose and 50 percent had not been vaccinated,” he said.

COVID-19 vaccination is a measure to develop people’s immunity against COVID-19, the spokesperson added.

In the past month, Indonesia recorded 1,373 COVID-19 deaths, and 74 percent of the patients who died had not received the booster dose and 50 percent had not been vaccinated, he informed.

He further said that almost 52 percent of elderly patients have not been vaccinated or have not received the booster dose, putting them at a high risk of fatality.

The first case of COVID-19 in Indonesia was confirmed in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of November 15, 2022, the nation has recorded 6,573,805 COVID-19 cases, 6,360,832 recoveries, and 159,199 deaths.

Source: Antara News