Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Epidemiologist from Australia’s Griffith University, Dicky Budiman assessed new variant of covid-19 more deadly or known as super variants can appear in Indonesia.
Mutations of the new SARS-CoV-2 variant, he said, could emerge from countries or regions that are unable to suppress the rate of virus transmission, such as in Indonesia.
“It’s very clear that Indonesia can produce a new variant of the super Covid-19, it’s very clear. Because our pandemic is out of control,” Dicky said CNNIndonesia.com, Saturday (24/7).
Globally, four variants of the corona virus have been found, namely the Alpha variant, the Beta variant, the Gamma variant and the Delta variant. The last name mentioned was first identified in India.
Dicky said that the indicator of a corona virus outbreak was out of control, if the positivity rate exceeded the standard set by the World Health Organization (WHO) by 5 percent.
The positivity rate is the ratio between the number of positive cases of Covid-19 and the number of tests carried out. Meanwhile, Indonesia’s positivity rate has recently been many times higher than the WHO standard.
“It is certain that Indonesia has great potential to give birth to a new super variant of the corona virus mutation,” said Dicky.
Dicky explained that there are three criteria for mutations in the new variant of the corona virus, which are categorized as worrying or super variants. The first is to have the speed of transmission. Second, the ability to cause severe symptoms and even death. The latter is able to reduce the efficacy of antibodies after vaccination.
Dicky assessed that the Indonesian people are currently still blind to the corona situation in their own country. Moreover, efforts to detect transmission of the corona virus mutation or whole genome sequencing that are currently spreading are still very limited.
During the pandemic, Deputy Minister of Health (Wamenkes) Dante Saksono Harbuwono noted that as of June 10, 2021, a new total of 2,000 random samples were carried out by whole genome sequencing in Indonesia.
However, Dicky assessed that it is still difficult to ascertain whether there has been a mutation of the new variant of the corona that was born in Indonesia at this time. He only said that the potential is still very large.
Dicky also reminded the most important effort to prevent the emergence of new, more dangerous variants by inhibiting its spread. One of them is still implementing a broad testing, tracking and treatment strategy.
“Then don’t forget 5M, vaccination and visitation. Without it, many Covid cases are missed, which means there is neglect in preventing the spread in the community,” said Dicky.
Similarly, the Head of the Institute for Molecular Biology (LBM) Eikjman Amin Soebandrio said that a new variant of Covid-19 could appear not only in Indonesia. But it can be in all countries because the virus mutates anytime and anywhere.
“A new variant of the corona can appear in other countries, it can be in Indonesia,” Amin said CNNIndonesia.com.
In the future, Amin said that the Covid-19 variant that dominates is not only delta, but other new variants. Amin stressed that the new variant is not always a derivative of the current Covid-19 variant.
“Now there are 4 Covid variants. Even though only three have entered Indonesia. It could be that the new variant is from the original variant. From the Wuhan one, the mutation continued to become a new variant,” said Amin.
Amin underlined that the new variant of Covid-19 may mutate because it escapes environmental pressures, both drugs, antibodies and other factors.
(rzr / DAL)
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