By: Namira Ramadhani )*
The explosion of confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Kudus, Central Java, has raised concerns about the Delta variant of the virus from India. Of course, the new variant of Covid-19 should really be watched out for. The public is also asked not to underestimate these variants by always being disciplined in the 5M Prokes .
The Director of Disease Prevention and Control at the Ministry of Health, Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi, reported that there were 145 cases of variant of concern (VOC) which are believed to spread more quickly to exacerbate the symptoms of Covid-19 which is currently spreading in a number of areas in Indonesia.
As of June 13, 2021, from a total of 1,989 sequences examined, 145 VOC sequences have been detected. A total of 36 cases of B117, five cases of B1351 and 104 cases of B1617.2.
Siti Nadia appealed to the entire community and regional officials to continue to tighten the implementation of micro-scale community activity restrictions (PPKM) in order to prevent the spread of the new Corona variant in the community.
According to him, the variant of the new Corona virus has spread in a number of areas in Indonesia, including Batam, Medan and Tanjung Balai.
Previously, Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia, Pandu Riono, said the discovery of the new Covid-19 mutation virus from the UK B117 must be watched out for. This is because the virus is believed to be more contagious and triggers an increase in Covid-19 cases.
Pandu said that what needs to be considered at this time is prevention efforts that must be prioritized. Especially the surveillance role of the Ministry of Health is the most important.
He also said that one of the most feared things about the new B117 virus entering Indonesia was the higher transmission rate.
If the transmission rate is high, of course, health workers will be overwhelmed because hospitals can be full again. If the hospital can be full, of course health facilities will not be able to treat patients optimally.
Guidance explicitly said, so that people do not ignore and underestimate the SARS-Cov-2 virus to mutate.
Epidemiologist Masdalina Pane even suggested that people temporarily stop unnecessary activities. The surge in patients exposed to Covid-19 in the last 10 days has a relatively higher mutation rate than the excited variant in 2020.
Masda said the corona virus currently developing was a variant of Delta 1617.2 originating from India. This type has mutations or spreads more quickly even though its virulence or malignancy is relatively lower.
He emphasized that it was this variant that prompted almost four provinces on the island of Java which are now getting the red zone title. Meanwhile, for the Bali region, there was no spike, but based on the latest findings in people who died from COVID-19, it turned out to be caused by the B.1351 variant from South Africa.
The difference is, the variant from South Africa, has a high virulence or incidence rate, but does not spread quickly. So that once people are exposed to the African variant within 3 days, they can die immediately.
Now many areas on the island of Java have become epicenters, such as Kudus, Bandung and Jakarta. Although not all regions in one province are showing symptoms, data from the Covid task force shows that in aggregate it shows that DKI Jakarta has increased up to 400%, Depok is 305%, Bekasi is 500%, Central Java is 898% and West Java is 104%.
The Head of the Professional Development Division of the Association of Indonesian Epidemiologists (PAEI) said that the surge in COVID-19 was not the impact of the Eid homecoming. The spike was felt as a deterrent failure, which resulted in the entry of Indian and African variants into Indonesia.
Masda also said that the spike in the number showed local transmission, meaning that most of the people affected by COVID did not travel abroad, but had an impact on blue areas.
In addition, Masda also invites the public to continue to comply with health protocols by implementing 3M, especially avoiding crowds, both in ordinary community social activities and sports activities in the near future.
We certainly need to learn from the explosion of Covid-19 cases in India, this incident is allegedly because the people there are increasingly neglecting to implement health protocols. The last few months there have been massive weddings in India. Many people do not wear masks when leaving the house.
The status of the pandemic has not ended, but the corona virus also mutates, giving rise to various variants that are dangerous for the body’s immunity. Therefore, Prokes discipline is a price that the community can no longer bargain.
)* The author is a contributor to Pertiwi institute
