Indonesian Health Minister (Menkes) Budi Gunadi Sadikin confirmed a total of 15 cases related to the new discoveries of the Omicron BF.7 subvariant. The same kind of subvariant that currently haunts China and India.
“In Indonesia, there is BF.7, but the increase is very small. There have been 15 cases,” he said when he met in West Jakarta on Thursday (29/12/2022).
According to him, the influence of the Omicron BF.7 subvariant in the increase in COVID-19 cases was relatively small. This doesn’t compare to China which has seen a very significant increase in numbers. Also sadly, most crematoria in China are no longer able to house bodies affected by COVID-19.
Of the 15 cases found in RI, two were from DKI Jakarta with no overseas travel history. Jakarta Health Service Epidemiology and Immunization Surveillance Section Chief (Dinkes) Dr. Ngabila Salama, explained that the two cases were identified on Oct. 24 and Nov. 1, 2022.
“They both live in Jakarta, they are male,” he said, in a statement received by detikcom on Thursday (12/29/2022).
The good news is that both people are recovering and have only mild symptoms. The Health Bureau continues to advise residents not to panic and to take care of themselves with comprehensive health protocols and vaccines.
“Prevent death free of charge with booster vaccinations and immediate puskesmas PCR testing for those with symptoms of COVID-19, especially those aged 40 and older or with severe comorbidities,” added Dr. Ngabila.
Omicron BF.7 Mortality rate
Even if the health minister admits that Indonesia survived the brunt of the omicron subvariant storms XBB and BQ.1, that doesn’t mean its citizens can ease their health protocols as they please. This is because the Omicron BF.7 subvariant is known to have a higher ability to infect than the previous subvariant.
“Compared with the previously detected BA.1, BA.2 and BA.5 variants, Omicron BF.7 has immune escape capability, shorter incubation period and faster transmission rate,” said Li Tongzeng, medical expert of Beijing’s Xiaotangshan hospital quoted by the Chinese government’s Global Times.
According to Tongzeng, the Omicron BF.7 subvariant R0 is 10, while for the Delta variant it is 5-6. R0 is the reproduction number which measures how contagious the COVID-19 disease is. The higher the number, a sign that the disease is spreading faster among humans.
Thus, the Omicron BF.7 subvariant has a higher ability to infect people who have had a previous COVID infection, been vaccinated, or even both. So, make sure that each individual continues to carry out the health protocol according to government recommendations.
Symptoms of Omicron BF.7
Omicron BF.7 doesn’t actually cause symptoms that different from the other subvariants. This infectious disease primarily attacks the upper respiratory tract which is characterized by a number of conditions including:
- Temperature
- Cough
- Burning throat
- Have a cold
- Fatigue
- In some cases, patients may experience gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, such as vomiting and diarrhea. Additionally, people with weakened immune systems have the potential to develop serious disease when exposed to the Omicron BF.7 subvariant.
Omicron BF.7 in Other Countries
Up to now, several countries have confirmed the presence of the Omicron BF.7 subvariant in their countries besides China, namely the United States, Great Britain, Denmark, Germany, France, Belgium and India.
Mentioned by Netmeds through a World Health Organization (WHO) statement, despite the good nature of BF.7 which is good at evading the body’s immune system and alarming signs about its development in China, the Omicron subvariant is still stable in other parts of the world.
Watch a video “Covid-19 cases in Yogyakarta are declining, ready to become endemic?“
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