Guest views are now limited to 12 pages. If you get an "Error" message, just sign in! If you need to create an account, click here.

Jump to content
  • CRYPTO REWARDS!

    Full endorsement on this opportunity - but it's limited, so get in while you can!

Now, cases of the Omicron variant have spread to dozens of countries, including Asian countries. The latest is Malaysia, neighboring Indonesia.


Recommended Posts

India Removes Ivermectin From Covid Clinical Guidelines

Ivermectin is commonly used as a veterinary medicine.

Ivermectin is commonly used as a veterinary medicine.

 

 

India's governing medical body has endorsed a new policy ending the use of ivermectin as for managing COVID-19

SCIENCE | THE WIRE – The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), India’s leading medical research body, has revised its ‘Clinical Guidelines’ for COVID-19.

Specifically, it removed mention of two drugs that a panoply of experts and non-experts had widely used and promoted both in India and worldwide, and which had also been ceaseless sources of controversy: ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).

The previous version of the national COVID-19 treatment protocols, dated May 17, 2021 (the one from which ICMR dropped the use of convalescent plasma) suggested that ivermectin and HCQ “may” be used despite “a low certainty of the evidence”.

This feeble cautionary note did nothing to dampen the ill-founded enthusiasm for the use and promotion of both drugs.

With the new revision, ICMR – and India – are now in line with accepted good practice vis-à-vis managing COVID-19, at least on the count of these two drugs. The guidelines of the US National Institutes of Health, the UK National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and the WHO all negatively recommend ivermectin and HCQ.

“The fascination with and support for ivermectin as a prophylactic agent against COVID-19 is hard to explain.”

 

In addition, both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency have said that ivermectin is not an antiviral drug, much less an anti-COVID drug.

But within India, the consensus hasn’t been so well-defined, and the official treatment recommendations themselves have been polarising.

India Today reported as far back as June 7 that the Directorate General of Health Services, a body under the Union health ministry, had dropped ivermectin and doxycycline – a broad-spectrum antibiotic – from its recommendation.

But some news reports also suggested that Indian government experts and advisers were still debating among themselves as to whether ivermectin should be used.

This may explain why ICMR took so long to come around and exclude ivermectin from the guidelines – more so since it is well-known today that ICMR also deferred to political interests through the length of the pandemic. Ivermectin’s proponents through the pandemic have made many dubious claims …

 

link  :  https://headlinehealth.com/india-removes-ivermectin-from-covid-clinical-guidelines/

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

As ICMR Revises COVID Guidelines, India Can Exit the Thrall of Ivermectin, HCQ

30/09/2021
hydroxy.jpeg
A woman holds a hydroxychloroquine prescription in Seattle, Washington, March 31, 2020. 
 
  • ICMR has, at long last, removed ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine from its COVID-19 treatment guidelines.
  • The support for these drugs to treat COVID-19 has been hard to explain, at least in scientific terms, given the near-complete lack of evidence.
  • India’s sustained support for hydroxychloroquine in particular was partly rooted in political interests.

On September 23, India’s apex medical research body, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), revised its ‘Clinical Guidelines’ for COVID-19. Specifically, it removed mention of two drugs that a panoply of experts and non-experts had widely used and promoted both in India and worldwide, and which had also been ceaseless sources of controversy: ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine (HCQ).

The previous version of the national COVID-19 treatment protocols, dated May 17, 2021 (the one from which ICMR dropped the use of convalescent plasma) suggested that ivermectin and HCQ “may” be used despite “a low certainty of the evidence”. This feeble cautionary note did nothing to dampen the ill-founded enthusiasm for the use and promotion of both drugs.

With the new revision, ICMR – and India – are now in line with accepted good practice vis-à-vis managing COVID-19, at least on the count of these two drugs. The guidelines of the US National Institutes of Health, the UK National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), and the WHO all negatively recommend ivermectin and HCQ.

In addition, both the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency have said that ivermectin is not an antiviral drug, much less an anti-COVID drug.

But within India, the consensus hasn’t been so well-defined, and the official treatment recommendations themselves have been polarising. India Today reported as far back as June 7 that the Directorate General of Health Services, a body under the Union health ministry, had dropped ivermectin and doxycycline – a broad-spectrum antibiotic – from its recommendation. But some news reports also suggested that Indian government experts and advisers were still debating among themselves as to whether ivermectin should be used.

This may explain why ICMR took so long to come around and exclude ivermectin from the guidelines – more so since it is well-known today that ICMR also deferred to political interests through the length of the pandemic.

Ivermectin

2021-04-20T051155Z_1_LYNXMPEH3J056_RTROPTP_4_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-BOLIVIA-DRUG.jpg

A pharmacist holds the anti-parasite drug ivermectin in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, May 19, 2020

 

 

The fascination with and support for ivermectin as a prophylactic agent against COVID-19 is hard to explain.

Ivermectin’s proponents through the pandemic have made many dubious claims about what the drug can do – but what it can really, actually do is worth remembering.

William Campbell and Satoshi Omura won a part of the Nobel Prize for medicine in 2015 for, among other things, discovering ivermectin in 1975. It became available for human use just six years later, in 1981. Campbell and Omura developed it as a cure for a number of parasitic infections in animals. In their citation, the prize-giving committee wrote, “The importance of ivermectin for improving the health and wellbeing of millions of individuals with river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, primarily in the poorest regions of the world, is immeasurable.”

Ivermectin came to the attention of COVID-19 researchers when scientists published a paper in November 2020 (preprint here) suggesting its potential to benefit hamsters infected with the novel coronavirus in laboratory conditions. Going from lab hamsters to real-world humans is a big leap, but healthcare workers widely adopted ivermectin in many parts of the world without waiting for larger, more informative studies.

Then, by the time such studies did happen and found no reason to think ivermectin could help defend against COVID-19, the drug’s proponents simply dismissed the results. In fact the strength of opinion and conviction that ivermectin could be a panacea against COVID-19 seems inexplicable, at least in terms of the science. Fortunately, there is now a wealth of reliable clinical studies, numerous research reports and systematic reviews that show one thing and one thing only: zero evidence that ivermectin works against the disease.

In June 2021, a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials of ivermectin, published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, concluded: “Ivermectin did not reduce all-cause mortality, length of [hospital] stay or viral clearance in [randomised controlled trials] in patients with mostly mild COVID-19. Ivermectin did not have an effect on adverse effects or severe adverse effects and is not a viable option to treat patients with COVID-19.”

Yet there still seems to be an international movement of sorts that is set on ‘proving’ that ivermectin works. The principal effort comes from a group calling itself ‘Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance’ (FLCCC); it still has on its website a paper its members submitted to a journal called Frontiers in Pharmacology, which “provisionally accepted” the paper before removing it in March 2021.

Ivermectin-for-COVID theories have also enjoyed political support of sorts, mainly from self-appointed experts in elected positions and with a large number of followers on social media platforms. One such is the Australian Labour MP Craig Kelly, who recently blamed “Big Pharma, Big Govt, health bureaucrats & [mainstream media]” for sidelining ivermectin, and Australia’s key to greatness with it.

Overall, there lingers in pockets of the world a concerted effort to manufacture and/or twist the available scientific evidence in favour of ivermectin, even if science breaks in the process. The drug has become a martyr in the eyes of conspiracy theorists, who continue to broadcast their claims on social media and by uploading dubious research papers and review articles to the web.

It takes considerable effort and expertise to show that studies claiming a benefit with ivermectin are methodologically flawed and misleading. This is also why, though it has taken time, it is gratifying that ICMR has finally fallen in line.

HCQ

2020-05-28T123159Z_1_LYNXMPEG4R1AP_RTROPTP_4_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE.jpg

A nurse holds up a hydroxychloroquine pill, at the Nossa Senhora da Conceicao Hospital, Porto Alegre, Brazil, April 23, 2020.

 

 

The story of India’s blind faith in HCQ is best reflected in the infamous, and more sensational, Rigano-Todaro paper.

On March 13, 2020, Greg Rigano and James Todaro, two cryptocurrency investors – by no means medical experts – publicised a seemingly innocuous idea through a public document, about the antimalarial drug chloroquine. Three days later, rockstar entrepreneur Elon Musk found the document and tweeted encouraging about it to his 60 million followers: “Maybe worth considering chloroquine for C19”. A day later, Musk replied to his own tweet with three equally damaging words: “Hydroxychloroquine probably better”.

These hapless claims soon caught the attention of then US President Donald Trump. In early April 2020, Trump upped the ante and fired off a personal request to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi – to lift an export ban on HCQ manufactured in India. Trump reportedly cited good relations with India, and with Modi personally, but also warned of “retaliation” if India attempted to block exports in any way.

This was of course grist to the mill of the populist, but not entirely ill-founded, trope of India as the world’s pharmacy. Trump was figuratively begging his best friend Modi to release HCQ supplies to the mighty USA, and Modi obligingly tweeted his support while his office released an obsequious press release emphasising Modi’s apparent clout.

However, by June 2020, the US FDA revoked its authorisation for hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19, for safety reasons. But support for its use continued to grow, with many ascribing India’s relatively low official – but undercounted – case numbers to the use of HCQ and ivermectin.

And just as with ivermectin, systematic reviews and meta-analyses ultimately found that HCQ was never the silver-bullet many said it was – although not before the drug’s widespread use caused great harm. As one editorial by the influential Cochrane Library put it in March this year:

“The dissemination of information on these drugs in the scientific press and other media has been rapid and tumultuous with strong and polarised opinions among scientists, politicians, and the general public, building a climate of mistrust. Potential resulting harms included wasted resources (including research capacity) and drug shortages for evidence‐based indications. The false hope instilled may have also led to unsupervised use of potentially harmful medications.”

Screenshot-2020-05-13-at-11.20.43-AM.png

ICMR director-general Balram Bhargava.

 

 

Even if they are not binding, clinical guidelines from official bodies are vitally important for healthcare workers in the ‘field’. They summarise the available evidence and make clear recommendations about which drugs to choose and which mode of treatment to prioritise in common yet different circumstances. For too long, India has lacked an official authoritative and independent clinical advisory body with the expertise, resources and the academic clout to get these guidelines right, and on time. The COVID-19 pandemic sorely tested this system, and found it deficient.

ICMR may not be best placed to undertake this important task. In the pandemic’s early days, it seemed to walk on eggshells, often skirting around or avoiding questions about differences between its opinions and global scientific findings. More recently, concerns about its independence were validated by reports in the New York Times and The Lancet that laid bare its failure to separate its scientific and editorial responsibilities from the needs of its political masters.

The delay in official advice to stop chasing after ineffective and potentially harmful remedies is also symptomatic of the general lack of scientific temper, reasonable scepticism and, honestly, some spine precisely where we need them most: our scientific institutions. And this is even before we consider the more serious issue of a Union ministry with money and license to promote unscientific, untested, unproven traditional remedies from the realm of Ayurveda as cures for COVID-19.

It is by now a cliché to say the COVID-19 pandemic showed up, and continues to show up, the lack of depth in India’s science establishment. But it is a cliché worth repeating because we have become a people adept at forgetting. Fleeting achievements in vaccine-manufacturing and laboratory testing will always remain flashes in the pan unless we invest more to develop a culture of scientific enquiry, interrogation, civil disagreement and independence that also doesn’t crack under the slightest pressure.

In the limited context of clinical-guideline development, India needs to invest in clinical epidemiology expertise, statisticians, clinical-trial experts, librarians and scientists trained at critically appraising research and conducting meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The importance of these exercises for India specifically is that their broad-based nature represents the most effective way to offset – both politically and scientifically – the cult of personality that has overtaken the country.

And until recently, it would seem, ivermectin and HCQ were similar personalities, embodying the paranoia of conspiracists as much as the delusions of nationalists.

 

link  :  https://science.thewire.in/health/icmr-revises-covid-treatment-guidelines-removes-ivermectin-hydroxychloroquine/

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Covid, ivermectin works and now WHO officials face the death penalty in India

 

L’Ivermectina works against the SARS-CoV-2 (commonly known as Covid-19). To say it is not a bizarre group of conspiracy theorists nor some no-vax, but one study published in the authoritative American Journal of Therapeutics, a historic scientific journal that deals with pharmacology and therapies that now recommends the use of the famous ultra-cheap anthelmintic.

The cures with ivermectina are the main way to fight the pandemic in many countries of the world: data coming from Zimbabwe, India, Peru, Argentina and Mexico are particularly emblematic of how much this drug can help fight the virus at all stages of the disease.

The study onIvermectina shows that this drug inhibits the replication and binding of the SARS-CoV-2 with the host tissue through several mechanisms. It also prevents the transmission and development of the disease in people exposed to infected patients and leads to reductions in the mortality rate in the Regions where there have been drug distribution campaigns, which boasts over 40 years of use and billions of doses administered and is therefore established that it does not have any kind of serious side effect.

Based on the totality of the studies and epidemiological evidence presented in this work, ivermectin should be used globally and systematically in the prevention and treatment of Covid-19 “ conclude the study authors, who are Pierre Kory, chief of the intensive care unit of UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin; Joseph Varon, chief of the intensive care unit of the United Memorial Medical Center in Houston, Texas (the ward with the lowest number of Covid deaths in the US since the beginning of the pandemic); Gianfranco Umberto Meduri, researcher and teacher of medicine in the Department of Medical Sciences of the University of Tennessee; Jose Iglesias placeholder image, professor of medicine at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall in Nutley, New Jersey; And Paul E. Marik, a highly influential South African scientist known throughout the world for his studies and specializations on the lungs, head of the division of pulmonology and intensive care at the Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, Virginia. All the doctors who signed the study are at the forefront, in their facilities, in the fight against the pandemic.

L’Ivermectina is a semi-synthetic drug commonly used to treat lice, scabies, ascariasis and other parasitic infections, which is also very cheap and readily available in large quantities.

In recent months, as already happened for thehydroxychloroquine, this drug and its use have been targeted by real campaigns aimed at diminishing its value, deceiving many states (including Italy) that have decided not to use it. Even facebook and youtube have censored many contents on Ivermectin, labeling them as “medical misinformation“.

Despite the numerous studies that for many months have already demonstrated the efficacy of Ivermectin against Covid-19, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recommended not to use it for the treatment of patients affected by Covid-19. The leader of the WHO, the Eritrean Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus very close to Xi Jinping and primarily responsible for the communication delays for the outbreak of the pandemic in Wuhan, there was no scruple to ban a drug that works for science.

Tedros-Adhanom-Ghebreyesus-xi-jinping.jpg

 

But now in India the WHO contact person, Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, risks the death penalty after being sued by the Indian Bar Association (IBA) – which is not the association of Indian bars but of Indian lawyers – which sued him for his “misleading statements against the use of Ivermectin that did not allow its use causing hundreds of thousands of deaths“. In the complaint, Indian lawyers ask the country’s government to “urgently examine the situation and in particular the seriousness of the issues involved, which concern not only the citizens of India but also the security, survival and well-being of all humanity“. In particular, the lawyers intend to hit the “prohibition of care“Imposed by WHO”for some substances such as Ivermectin whose effectiveness is amply demonstrated by dozens and dozens of scientific studies and opinions of prestigious doctors who work daily in the field against the pandemic“. There is also one of the denounced Indian lawyers Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the world leader of the WHO.

Also in Italy the use of Ivermectina against Covid-19 is not allowed, but a few days ago Anna Maria Bernini, leader of Forza Italia in the Senate and exponent of the majority of the Draghi government, in a press conference on the pandemic and home care, said that “we must prevent future hospitalizations by focusing on home therapies, also looking at the new perspectives highlighted by recent studies“, Underlining that”it is the only solution if we do not want to slow down or even reset the activities of prevention and early analysis of existing pathologies“. For the senator from Trieste Laura Stable, member of the Healthcare Commission also for Forza Italia, “the evolution of the pandemic is uncertain. The vaccination campaign is doing well, but it is also advisable to work on other fronts, to improve eating habits and lifestyles to strengthen the immune system and above all to review the protocols on home care. There are drugs that, according to scientific evidence, are very effective such as ivermectin, not yet available on the market in Italy“.

In the last decade – explained in the same press conference the doctor Alberto Donzelli, specialist in hygiene and preventive medicine – various clinical trials have begun to show ivermectin antiviral activity which is now proving useful in much of the world in the prevention and treatment of mild, medium and severe Covid-19, with greater efficacy when used early. Our hope is that it is one of the authorized therapies in dealing with covid19, also because the evidence supporting the use of ivermectin exceeds that used for the approval of other treatments charged to the NHS, which moreover showed lesser benefits.“, He concluded Donzelli.

Even in our country, therefore, even if in a very timid way, something is dying. What must we still wait to use ivermectin also in Italy, in the face of such scientific evidence?

 

link  :  https://www.italy24news.com/News/161384.html

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Doctor discusses Ivermectin success in India, questions Canada's COVID approach

In India, Ivermectin and other prophylactics have been used successfully to treat COVID-19 patients.

  • By Kelly Lamb     December 03, 2021
  • Dr. Lenny Da Costa is a successful physician in both Goa and Mumbai, India. Dr. Da Costa specializes in geriatrics and preventative cardiology, with a passion for treating his patients through functional medicine and natural medicine where possible.

    This is what he has done for thousands of patients over the years, and has carried into his treatment of patients with COVID-19 over the course of the pandemic.

    Dr. Da Costa has expressed concern about Canada’s approach to COVID-19, citing the reluctance to try so many treatments that he sees working in his state and country everyday.

    In India, especially in the province of Uttar Pradesh, Ivermectin, alongside other prophylactics, has been used successfully to treat COVID-19 patients and was responsible for remarkable drops in disease severity in the regions it was used.

    Yet in Canada, it is seen (and mocked) as “horse dewormer.”

    Those who try to discuss it as an option are often dismissed as ‘conspiracy theorists’ or ‘quacks’. As such, it has not been allowed to be used or studied as a treatment for COVID, even resulting in the discipline of an Alberta physician in recent months for effectively using it on patients.

    In this informative interview, Dr. Da Costa speaks his mind about what he and others in parts of India use to treat COVID in his patients, especially the elderly who are most vulnerable.

    He also bravely and openly discusses his concerns with the COVID-19 vaccine roll out, the ignoring and censorship of physicians or scientists who speak against the mainstream treatment narrative, and more. Dr. Da Costa also aims to inspire hope in those who are panicked or scared about COVID and the future of the pandemic.

    No matter where you stand on how to best handle pandemic policy, Dr. Da Costa’s experience and view is worth a listen, especially if you are a Canadian health-care professional or politician.

    He is a man who truly cares for his patients, as well as public health far beyond the borders of his state or country. If nothing else, hopefully those who listen can unite under one core idea that he promoted: critical thinking. Perhaps we could all do a little more of that!

 

link  :  https://www.rebelnews.com/doctor_discusses_ivermectin_success_in_india_questions_canadas_covid_approach

  • Thanks 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Omicron Variant Not Yet Detected in Indonesia: COVID-19 Task Force

Translator:  Dewi Elvia Muthiariny   Editor:  Petir Garda Bhwana           1 December 2021 12:49 WIB
Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Prof. Wiku Adisasmito speaks at a press conference, Jakarta, Thursday (29/10/2020). (ANTARA / Katriana)
Spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Prof. Wiku Adisasmito speaks at a press conference, Jakarta, Thursday (29/10/2020)
 

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta A spokesman for the National COVID-19 Task Force, Wiku Adisasmito, confirmed there has been no case of a new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 or the Omicron variant. “As of this morning, there has been no finding of the Omicron case,” said Wiku on Wednesday, December 1.

According to him, the government would apply multi-layered screening of foreign or Indonesian citizens coming from abroad in an effort to prevent the entry of the new variant. The government had also banned the entry of citizens from 11 countries following the presence of the new variant.

The eleven countries are South Africa, Eswatini, Hong Kong, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, and Botswana. Meanwhile, Indonesian citizens who have traveled or have transited to the said country are required to undergo a 14-day quarantine. “While those from other countries must undergo a seven-day quarantine,” Wiku added.

Ahead of the end of the year, he said, the government would implement three main strategies to prevent an increase in COVID-19 cases and focus on preventing imported Omicron cases, controlling mobility, and improving the implementation of health protocols.

 

During the Christmas and New Year holidays, Wiku went on, the government will raise the severity level of the enforcement of public mobility restrictions or PPKM policy to level three for all regions from December 24, 2021, to January 2, 2022.

“The government is also monitoring the dynamics of virus transmission at the global level between countries that cannot be set aside considering that new variants can penetrate across countries,” Wiku said of the Omicron variant.

 

link  :  https://en.tempo.co/read/1534549/omicron-variant-not-yet-detected-in-indonesia-covid-19-task-force

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Health Ministry denies Omicron detected in Bekasi, West Java

 8th December 2021

Health Ministry denies Omicron detected in Bekasi, West Java

Spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations for the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi. 

 

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi has said that a report on the detection of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) coronavirus variant in Bekasi District, West Java, is untrue.

"It is not true (the report on Omicron variant). Up until now, there is no case of Omicron (in Indonesia)," she stressed here on Wednesday.

Tarmizi informed that her office had checked the information with laboratory officers in the region after a report emerged of four residents getting infected with the new COVID-19 variant.

"The Ministry of Health continues to increase the coverage of genome sequencing from the patients that are infected by COVID-19 in a bid to anticipate early the (spread of) Omicron and new variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the country," she said.

As of now, there are 11 units of the genome sequencing engine in Indonesia, which are expected to help accelerate the detection of new variants of COVID-19, including the Omicron variant, she added.

To bolster efforts to prevent the entry of new COVID-19 variants, the government is also tightening supervisions on international travelers, Tarmizi said.

Earlier, head of the Bekasi District Health Office, Sri Enny Mainiarti, had shared a report on online mass media stating that the Omicron variant had been detected in four Jakarta residents based on a sample examination at Farmalab Laboratory, West Cikarang, Bekasi District.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 7, 2021, at least 4,258,076 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,108,717 people have recovered, and 143,893 people have succumbed to the deadly virus.

 

link  :  https://en.antaranews.com/news/203473/health-ministry-denies-omicron-detected-in-bekasi-west-java

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

IDI invites Indonesians to become vanguards to prevent Omicron

 3rd December 2021

IDI invites Indonesians to become vanguards to prevent Omicron

 

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Head of the Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Daeng M. Faqih has invited Indonesian citizens to become vanguards in the efforts to prevent the entry of Omicron, the new COVID-19 variant, into the country.

"If the citizens are disciplined in following health protocols and getting vaccinated, Indonesia will most likely be able to avoid the third wave and the Omicron variant," he stated here, Friday.

According to Faqih, the government is mandated to formulate policies and oversee their implementation, as well as educate and facilitate the public.

In a bid to prevent the Omicron variant from entering the country, the government has prohibited the entry of foreign nationals whose 14-day travel history includes countries, such as South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Angola, Zambia, and Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, Indonesian citizens, with a travel history from those countries mentioned above, will be quarantined for 10 days.

The government has also increased the quarantine days for foreigners and Indonesian citizens coming from abroad outside the countries included in the ban list to seven days, from the earlier three days.

In addition, the government will implement the level 3 public activity restrictions (PPKM) during Christmas 2021 and New Year's 2022.

"Actually, the vanguard is the community. Two important aspects are health protocols and vaccinations. This is primary and secondary prevention for the community," he affirmed.

Faqih explained that PPKM is an instrument of the government's policy to push the public to become disciplined in following health protocols. However, the implementation still relies on public awareness. Hence, in order to improve understanding, information must be continually disseminated.

The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data from the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 3, 2021, at least 4,257,243 people had tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,105,680 people have recovered, and 143,858 people had succumbed to the deadly virus.

 

link  :  https://en.antaranews.com/news/202741/idi-invites-indonesians-to-become-vanguards-to-prevent-omicron

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indonesia withdraws from BWF World Championships over Omicron concern

 8th December 2021

Indonesia withdraws from BWF World Championships over Omicron concern

Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu at a badminton match

 

 

We do not want to take a risk. Athletes' health and safety are more important

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's national badminton team has announced its decision to withdraw from the 2021 BWF World Championships, planned to be held in Huelva, Spain, from December 12–19, 2021, citing concerns over the Omicron variant.

In a written statement issued here on Wednesday, the Indonesian Badminton Association's (PBSI)  Operational Director Alex Tirta informed that the decision came directly from PBSI Chairperson Agung Firman Sampurna.

Sampurna cited the security and safety of the national team amid the spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 as the reason behind the withdrawal from the championship, he said.

The decision was taken after a discussion with organizers, coaches, and PBSI official Rionnya Mainaky, Tirta added.

They cited uncertainty over the spread of the Omicron variant as the primary reason for the decision to withdraw, he informed.

The decision was also based on the Indonesian Government's warning concerning the latest development of the Omicron variant, he said.

"We do not want to take a risk. Athletes' health and safety are more important. We have discussed this with the players and they agreed to resign from the World Championship," Mainaky said.

Thus, the 2021 Indonesia Badminton Festival (IBF) in Bali from November 16 to December 5 has become the last tournament that the national team participated in this year, he added.

They will now start preparing for tournaments scheduled for 2022, he said.

Earlier, PBSI planned to send 13 athletes to the 2021 BWF World Championships:

Men's singles:

Anthony Sinisuka Ginting, Jonatan Christie, Shesar Hiren Rhustavito.

Women's singles:

Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, Ruselli Hartawan.

Men's doubles:

Marcus Fernaldi Gideon and Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo, Hendra Setiawan and Mohammad Ahsan, Fajar Alfian and Muh. Rian Ardianto, Leo Rolly Carnando and Daniel Marthin.

Women's doubles:

Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu.

Mixed doubles:

Praveen Jordan and Melati Daeva Oktavianti, Rinov Rivaldy and Pitha Haningtyas Mentari, as well as Rehan Naufal Kusharjanto and Lisa Ayu Kusumawati.

 

link  :  https://en.antaranews.com/news/203465/indonesia-withdraws-from-bwf-world-championships-over-omicron-concern

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are 11 units of the genome sequencing engine in Indonesia.

There are 11 units of the genome sequencing engine in Indonesia

 

Govt Denies Omicron Detected in West Java's Bekasi

Antara • 08 December 2021 21:53

 

Jakarta: Spokesperson for COVID-19 Vaccinations for the Ministry of Health Siti Nadia Tarmizi has said that a report on the detection of the Omicron (B.1.1.529) coronavirus variant in Bekasi District, West Java, is untrue.
 
"It is not true (the report on Omicron variant). Up until now, there is no case of Omicron (in Indonesia)," she stressed here on Wednesday.
 
Tarmizi informed that her office had checked the information with laboratory officers in the region after a report emerged of four residents getting infected with the new COVID-19 variant.

"The Ministry of Health continues to increase the coverage of genome sequencing from the patients that are infected by COVID-19 in a bid to anticipate early the (spread of) Omicron and new variants of SARS-CoV-2 in the country," she said.
 
As of now, there are 11 units of the genome sequencing engine in Indonesia, which are expected to help accelerate the detection of new variants of COVID-19, including the Omicron variant, she added.
 
To bolster efforts to prevent the entry of new COVID-19 variants, the government is also tightening supervisions on international travelers, Tarmizi said.
 
Earlier, head of the Bekasi District Health Office, Sri Enny Mainiarti, had shared a report on online mass media stating that the Omicron variant had been detected in four Jakarta residents based on a sample examination at Farmalab Laboratory, West Cikarang, Bekasi District.
 
The first case of COVID-19 was confirmed in Indonesia in March 2020. According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Task Force, as of December 7, 2021, at least 4,258,076 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,108,717 people have recovered, and 143,893 people have succumbed to the deadly virus.

 

link  :  https://www.medcom.id/english/national/0k84V5dk-govt-denies-omicron-detected-in-west-java-s-bekasi

 

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No Omicron Cases Yet in Indonesia: Government

A man received a COVID-19 vaccine in Tebet, Jakarta, on Monday, November 29.

A man received a COVID-19 vaccine in Tebet, Jakarta, on Monday, November 29.

 

 

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian government has confirmed that recent reports about confirmed Omicron cases in Indonesia were false.

Expert staff at the Executive Office of the President, or KSP, Abraham Wirotomo said the information about four Bekasi regency residents contracting the new COVID-19 variant wasn’t true.

“There hasn’t been evidence or statement from me that confirms Omicron [infection] in Bekasi,” Wirotomo said in a statement on Wednesday, December 8, 2021.

“The four patients have undergone quarantine, and contact tracing has also been conducted.”

According to him, based on an investigation by Bekasi regency health office, the four patients contracted the Delta variant and not Omicron as reported.

 

He regretted the report widely circulated without confirmation from the health office or Ministry of Health. Such ‘hoax’, he said, could result in ‘unnecessary panic’.

Previously, infection cases of the new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529, or Omicron, were reportedly found in Indonesia. Four Jakartans were said to have contracted the virus after traveling abroad.

Initial reports said the four people were from Bekasi regency, but its head of health office officials denied they’re Bekasi residents. Sri Enny Mainiarti said samples from the four people were examined in Farmalab laboratory in West Cikarang, Bekasi Regency on November 23, but all the patients were from Jakarta.

“We heard information that four people from Bekasi regency tested positive with what’s suspected as Omicron. There were reports that a number of Indonesians and foreigners tested positive, but they have been quarantined in Wisma Atlet,” Mainiarti said on Wednesday.

She added that because the samples were taken to a lab in Cikarang, the new all record (NAR) system owned by the Ministry of Health recorded the patients to be from Bekasi. The office decided to remove the information from the regency’s NAR, but the rumor already circulated in the public.

 

link  :  https://theindonesia.suara.com/news/2021/12/08/174936/no-omicron-cases-yet-in-indonesia-government

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't Miss Indonesian Street Festival in New York!

Arfi Bambani | Aulia Hafisa

Participants of the 2021 Indonesian Street Festival (ISF) playing the angklung musical instrument (Consulate General of Republic Indonesia in New York)

Participants of the 2021 Indonesian Street Festival (ISF) playing the angklung musical instrument (Consulate General of Republic Indonesia in New York)

 

 

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian Consulate General in New York held the annual cultural festival, Indonesian Street Festival (ISF), as the 76th Indonesian Independence event series. The theme was 'Indonesia Tangguh Indonesia Tumbuh,' which means 'Indonesia to grow and be strong.'

The event was held both offline and online. It started by giving awards to the New York Government and Indonesian business partners, such as the American-Indonesian Chamber of Commerce, US-ASEAN Business Council, US Chamber of Commerce, Freeport, FedEx, UPS, Deloitte, and Gojek Indonesia, for donating and delivering personal protective equipment (PPE) consisting of 176 ventilators and more than 50 containers PCR Test Kits and medical gowns.

In a written statement received in Jakarta, Wednesday, by Antara news agency, the Indonesian Consul in New York, Arifi Saiman, gave his remarks.

It was followed by Major General TNI Agoes Joesni's remarks and appreciation to the New York City Government and US business circles.

The Indonesian Owned Enterprises (BUMN) Foundation Chairman, Harjawan Balaningrath, also gave his remarks.

 

Many things were shown in the ISF 2021, such as music, culture, and cuisine. The participants were the Indonesian Consulate General in New York, the Indonesian Gastronomy Association (IGA), Indonesian Culinary Enthusiasts (ICE), and virtually from Swara Mahardhika Indonesia, Nusantara Kreasindo, Saung Budaya, and DWP PTRI New York (the Dancing Queens).

All participants who came to the offline event performed Angklung music instruments together and danced Poco-poco.

In addition, there was also an exhibition that showed a variety of Indonesian products and cuisines from various business groups, restaurants, and the Indonesian Diaspora community on the east coast of the United States. There were also Indonesian creative products such as jewelry and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (UMKM) products.

The ISF 2021 activities were held in collaboration with the Indonesian Consulate General in New York, Indonesia Permanent Representative for United Nation in New York, the Indonesian Embassy in Washington DC, and the Indonesian people in New York, particularly Perwakrin USA, IDN Greater New York, and the Nusantara Foundation.

 

link  :  https://theindonesia.suara.com/explore/2021/12/08/162602/dont-miss-indonesian-street-festival-in-new-york

 
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Omicron Threat, PCR Devices Installed at 6 International Check Points

Arfi Bambani

A personnel sterilized an area within Soekarno-Hatta airport

A personnel sterilized an area within Soekarno-Hatta airport

 

 

TheIndonesia.id - Six entry points for international travelers have installed Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) devices to detect the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Handling Task Force Wiku Adisasmito informed at an online press conference here on Tuesday, December 7, 2021.

"Data from the Health Ministry indicates that testing has been conducted in six international arrivals for foreigners where each lab can test 500 to 600 samples per day," he elaborated as quoted by Antara news agency.

The government has also temporarily restricted the entry of international travelers who have visited countries with confirmed cases of Omicron, he noted. These countries comprise South Africa, Botswana, Hong Kong, Angola, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini, and Lesotho, he said.

Indonesian citizens who have visited these countries in the last 14 days will need to quarantine for 14 days and take the COVID-19 test on the first day and the 13th day of their quarantine, he added.

Foreigners and Indonesian citizens who have visited countries with no confirmed cases of Omicron thus far are being allowed to enter Indonesia, the spokesperson said.

 

However, they need to quarantine for 10 days and take the COVID-19 test during the first and the ninth day, he added.

Travelers who have to undergo quarantine are being directed to Wisma Atlet Pademangan or Pasar Rumput that has a capacity of 3,700 rooms and to 70 hotels in Indonesia, Adisasmito said.

Hence, there should be enough quarantine space for everyone, he added.

The government is making an exception for foreigners from countries that have a bilateral agreement with Indonesia, diplomatic and service visa holders, and Limited Stay Permit Card (KITAS) and Permanent Stay Permit Card (KITAP) holders, he said.

The government has also allowed entry to ministers and government officials, he added.

"Foreigners who enter through diplomatic agreement scheme do not have to go through the quarantine, but they will be further monitored with a very stringent health protocol," Adisasmito informed.

The Indonesian government will do its best to maintain good relations with other countries while there is a spike in COVID-19 cases in several countries due to the spread of the Omicron variant, he added.

"The Indonesian government believes that there is no other consideration beyond this consideration," he said.

"In this trying time, which unfortunately has gone on for two years, Indonesia believes that all countries should put more emphasis on the effort to help each other," he affirmed.

 

link  :  https://theindonesia.suara.com/news/2021/12/08/093000/omicron-threat-pcr-devices-installed-at-6-international-check-points

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indonesia Rules Out Lockdown amid Omicron Spread

Diana Mariska   Monday, 29 November 2021 | 16:45

Traffic in Jalan Otto Iskandardinata, Bogor, West Java on Sunday, November 21.

Traffic in Jalan Otto Iskandardinata, Bogor, West Java on Sunday, November 21.

 

 

TheIndonesia.id - Indonesia’s top official has ruled out the possibility of Indonesia entering a lockdown amid the threat of a new COVID-19 variant.

As reported by Suara.com on Monday, November 29, Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan said the Indonesian government isn’t considering a lockdown as a response to the latest development of the pandemic. According to him, a lockdown hasn’t emerged as the best solution at the moment, considering the experiences of other countries that have implemented it.

“Based on experiences, lockdown doesn’t solve the problem. The [COVID-19] attack increases instead,” Luhut said.

Instead, he said the government will opt to continue with the community activities restrictions, or locally known as PPKM, as it’s considered to bring more ‘balance’ into social activities in Indonesia compared to a lockdown.

As a response to the spread of new COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529 or Omicron which was first detected in South Africa, the Indonesian government has issued new regulation related to travel restrictions, including banning entry to travelers coming from South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Angola, Zambia, and Hong Kong.

Prior to that, to prevent a case surge during the year-end holidays, authorities also announced that all regions in Indonesia will implement Level 3 PPKM. It regulates that places of worship, movie theaters, restaurants, and malls can only receive visitors to up to 50 percent of total capacity, and they are allowed to operate only until 9 p.m. 

Therefore, Coordinating Minister Pandjaitan asked the public not to overly panic in reacting to Omicron.

Meanwhile, professor of clinical microbiology at the Eijkman Institute Amin Soebandrio said there hasn’t been a report that this new variant has entered Indonesia. However, he warned the government to take immediate preventive measures.

“The measures taken by the government have been adequate; we’re preventing the virus from being transmitted from people who have been traveling abroad,” Soebandrio said.

“For those coming, they have to go through a stricter screening process, hence a longer quarantine period. A number of PCR procedures are also amplified.”

 

link  :  https://theindonesia.suara.com/news/2021/11/29/164500/indonesia-rules-out-lockdown-amid-omicron-spread

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Vaccination for Children Aged Six to 11 to Start Dec. 24

Diana Mariska

In-person learning activity at SDN Ibu Dewi 2 Cianjur, West Java.

In-person learning activity at SDN Ibu Dewi 2 Cianjur, West Java.

 

 

TheIndonesia.id - The Indonesian government has announced that COVID-19 vaccine for children aged six to 11 will be rolled out from December 24, with a number of requirements in place.

Based on the Minister of Home Affairs Instruction (Inmendagri) No. 66/2021, regions in Indonesia that have achieved 70 percent of first dose vaccination target and 60 percent of vaccination for its elderlies, may start distributing COVID-19 vaccine to children aged six to 11.

Previously in November, the Drug and Food Control Agency (BPOM) issued emergency use authorization (UEA) for Sinovac vaccine for children aged 6 to 11.

Head of the Agency Penny Lukito said at the time that the decision was considered urgent by authorities and was made to support the in-person learning activities that had already taken place at some schools.

 “I believe vaccination for children is very urgent right now,” she said on Monday, November 1, 2021.

Before giving a nod to Sinovac vaccine for the younger age groups, emergency use had also been authorized for children aged 12 and above.

 

link  :  https://theindonesia.suara.com/news/2021/12/10/124500/vaccination-for-children-aged-six-to-11-to-start-dec-24

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

KSP said 4 people were exposed to the Omicron hoax variant, Pemred Merdeka: it came from the official website of the Bekasi Regency Government
Rudi HD Cahyono, 23 hours ago


LENSAINDONESIA.COM: The Main Expert Staff of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Abraham Wirotomo emphasized that if there was information about 4 people being exposed to the Covid-19 variant of the omicron in West Cikarang, Bekasi Regency, it was fake news or hoaxes. Abraham said that after clarifying with the Head of the Bekasi District Health Office, Dr Sri Enny Mainiarti.

"There is no evidence and there is no statement from me that the Omicron variant has entered Bekasi," said Abraham imitating the statement from the Bekasi Kadinkes.

Previously, Abraham claimed to have received information that there were four people who were positive for the Omicron variant of Covid-19. The information comes from the news in the online media, namely merdeka.com.

However, the results of a search by the Bekasi Health Office team to the laboratory that carried out the testing showed that the four people who were tested positive for Covid-19 were actually positive for the delta variant, not omicron. "The four positive residents have been quarantined. Ddan also carried out tracing on close contacts. The steps have been carried out according to the protocol," said Abraham.

Abraham also regretted that the news about four positive Covid-19 people in Bekasi was carried out without going through clarification from the main source, namely the Health Office or the Ministry of Health. "Hoaxes like this can harm society and cause unnecessary panic," he continued.

Meanwhile, the Editor-in-Chief (Pemred) of merdeka.com, Ramadhian Fadillah, stated that the news on four people who were positive for the Covid-19 variant of the omicron in Bekasi was published by merdeka.com, citing the official website of the Bekasi Regency Government, namely eksikab.go.id, which was published on Tuesday. (7/12/2021).

"The editorial crew of Merdeka has worked according to journalistic working principles. In fact, it is not only independence that carries the news, but all media do the same thing,” he explained.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bekasi District Health Office, Dr Sri Enny Mainiarty, confirmed that the four people suspected of being exposed to the Omicron variant were residents of DKI Jakarta. He added that the information quoted by journalists related to his presentation with the Camats in the Bekasi Regent's meeting room was a misperception and was not true.
“Yesterday I tried to explain the news about the alleged residents of Bekasi Regency. That the positive person is not a resident of Bekasi Regency, nor is the Omicron positive person a Jakarta resident and the incident took place a long time ago on November 23, the quarantine has been completed at Wisma Atlet Jakarta," Sri Enny said, Wednesday (08/12)

Since the news emerged and became a conversation, the Bekasi Regency Government withdrew the information. So, the information is no longer on their official website. But the capture of the news is still kept by a number of media, including merdeka.com. And the title of the news that was originally published can still be found in search engines, even if you click on it the contents have been removed.

 

link  :  https://www.lensaindonesia.com/2021/12/09/ksp-sebut-4-orang-terpapar-varian-omicron-hoax-pemred-merdeka-itu-berasal-dari-situs-resmi-pemkab-bekasi.html

 

 

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mainland China reports its first omicron Covid case

PUBLISHED MON, DEC 13 20219:31 PM ESTUPDATED TUE, DEC 14 20212:28 AM EST
  • Mainland China reported its first case of the omicron Covid variant on Monday in the city of Tianjin, about a two hour drive from the capital of Beijing.
  • The omicron case was found in a traveler from overseas, who showed no symptoms but tested positive on Thursday, according to Tianjin’s local health commission.
  • The United Kingdom reported Monday the first publicly confirmed death globally from the heavily mutated omicron variant of the coronavirus.
  • Medical worker collects swab from a citizen for the COVID-19 nucleic acid test at Zhenhai District on December 7, 2021 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province of China.
  • Medical worker collects swab from a citizen for the COVID-19 nucleic acid test at Zhenhai District on December 7, 2021 in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province of China.

 

BEIJING — Mainland China reported its first case of the omicron Covid variant on Monday in the city of Tianjin, about a two hour drive from the capital of Beijing.

The omicron case was found in a traveler from overseas, who showed no symptoms but tested positive on Thursday, according to Tianjin’s local health commission. The patient is in isolated treatment at a hospital, the commission said.

 

Guangzhou city in southern China announced Tuesday another omicron case, also a traveler from overseas, state media reported. The report said the individual is in isolated treatment at a local hospital.

On Monday, the United Kingdom reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from the omicron variant. The newly identified variant — first reported in South Africa in late November — is highly transmissible and heavily mutated, and has raised concerns about the efficacy of existing coronavirus vaccines.

BEIJING — Mainland China reported its first case of the omicron Covid variant on Monday in the city of Tianjin, about a two hour drive from the capital of Beijing.

The omicron case was found in a traveler from overseas, who showed no symptoms but tested positive on Thursday, according to Tianjin’s local health commission. The patient is in isolated treatment at a hospital, the commission said.

 

Guangzhou city in southern China announced Tuesday another omicron case, also a traveler from overseas, state media reported. The report said the individual is in isolated treatment at a local hospital.

On Monday, the United Kingdom reported the first publicly confirmed death globally from the omicron variant. The newly identified variant — first reported in South Africa in late November — is highly transmissible and heavily mutated, and has raised concerns about the efficacy of existing coronavirus vaccines.

Covid-19 first emerged in mainland China in late 2019. The country controlled the outbreak within months, but the virus had meanwhile become a global pandemic.

Mainland China has reported only pockets of Covid-19 cases in the last 18 months, as Beijing pursues a tough “zero-tolerance” policy that can mean sudden neighborhood lockdowns or travel restrictions. The latest reemergence of Covid cases has been concentrated in Inner Mongolia and the southeastern part of the country.

The mainland health commission reported a total of 51 locally confirmed cases for Monday, and 25 attributed to travelers from overseas, with no new deaths.

 

link  :  https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/14/mainland-china-reports-its-first-omicron-covid-case.html

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mainland China reports first case of Omicron coronavirus variant

Appearance of highly transmissible variant poses serious threat to zero-Covid strategy

 

Mainland China has reported its first case of the highly transmissible Omicron variant in the northern city of Tianjin, posing what could be the biggest threat to date to the country’s zero-Covid strategy.

The Chinese authorities reported on Monday that the Omicron case was detected on 9 December from an overseas returnee, who showed no symptoms on arrival. The patient is being quarantined and treated in a designated hospital.

 

At the same time, the eastern province of Zhejiang has been battling a rise in new infections of the Delta variant in recent weeks.

Cases of Omicron – first detected in South Africa and labelled a “variant of concern” by the World Health Organization – have now been reported in more than 50 countries. At least one person in the UK has died with Omicron, Boris Johnson said on Monday.

Experts say that if not properly controlled, the variant could upend Beijing’s strategy to fully contain the pandemic. Since last year, the method has guaranteed Chinese citizens a largely virus-free life, but it has also been met with criticism by some medical professionals, who argued for an alternative plan to coexist with the virus with a sufficient vaccination rate.

The first Omicron case in Tianjin comes as nearby Beijing gears up for the Winter Olympics, which are to be held in February. The Guardian understands the patient has no association with the Games.

The arrival of the Omicron variant also coincided with Zhejiang – a province of 65 million people – battling against its first domestic cluster outbreak this year.

Among the 80 new locally transmitted cases with symptoms in mainland China on 12 December, 74 were identified in Zhejiang. In October, the province reported just one local case.

The outbreak in Zhejiang, a manufacturing hub and home to the e-commerce company Alibaba, led more than a dozen publicly listed companies to halt production on Monday. Their shares fell sharply as a result.

The companies said they would comply with the virus control measures imposed by the local government, which will decide when production can resume.

Among the worst affected cities in Zhejiang province is Shaoxing. Since 5 December, 123 of the 192 cases detected in the province were from the city of 5 million. A mass testing programme is under way.

Early this month, the Chinese region of Hong Kong – which runs a separate health system from the mainland – reported its first cases of Omicron. On Monday, the territory reported two additional cases of the variant, bringing the total to seven.

Hong Kong’s health authorities said that both cases were imported from the UK, where the health secretary, Sajid Javid, told MPs on Monday that Omicron now represents 20% of Covid cases in England.

 

link  :  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/13/mainland-china-reports-first-case-of-omicron-coronavirus-variant

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

China faces new COVID outbreak as first Omicron case is reported

Outbreak in three Zhejiang cities – Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou – was developing at a ‘relatively rapid’ speed as 50,000 people are placed under quarantine.

000_9U92RR.jpg?resize=770%2C513

A resident undergoes nucleic acid tests for the Covid-19 coronavirus in China's eastern Zhejiang province last week

 

14 Dec 2021
 

The major Chinese manufacturing province of Zhejiang is fighting its first COVID-19 cluster this year, with tens of thousands of citizens in quarantine and virus-hit areas suspending business operations, cutting flights and cancelling events.

The news comes as health authorities reported the country’s first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the northern port city of Tianjin.

 

The state-run Tianjin Daily reported on Monday that the Omicron infection was discovered in a traveller who arrived in the city from overseas on December 9, adding that the patient is currently being treated in isolation in hospital.

On Tuesday, Xinhua news agency reported an additional 37 locally-transmitted confirmed COVID-19 cases in Zhejiang’s city of Shaoxing, bringing the total number of locally-transmitted confirmed cases in the city to 144.

 

Earlier, the entire Zhejiang province reported 74 locally transmitted symptomatic cases on December 12 – almost double the previous day’s 38 cases.

The outbreak in three Zhejiang cities – Ningbo, Shaoxing and Hangzhou – was developing at a “relatively rapid” speed, while the situation nationwide was largely stable, National Health Commission official Wu Liangyou said on Saturday.

Health authorities also reported that some of the new cases are said to be from the new Delta strain, “sub-lineage AY.4”, according to Xinhua.

Before the current outbreak, Zhejiang – home to a legion of small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which are exporters – reported only one local case in 2021.

More than a dozen Chinese-listed companies said they had suspended production in parts of Zhejiang owing to tightened COVID-19 curbs.

Outbreaks in dozens of Chinese cities this year remained smaller than many overseas, but local governments were told to ensure infections were detected and contained as early as possible to prevent further spreading, triggering curbs that have led to occasional disruption to travel and tourism.

Flights leaving Ningbo Lishe International Airport to Shenzhen city were suspended from Sunday, while flights to Beijing were cancelled from December 6.

Only one daily flight from Hangzhou to China’s capital is allowed.

More than 50,000 people in Zhejiang have been quarantined at centralised facilities and nearly half a million people’s health conditions were monitored, a provincial health official said on Monday. The coastal province has a population of 64.6 million.

Zhejiang has ordered travel agencies to suspend organising tourism trips linking the province and other areas and has also halted province-level sports events.

Wenzhou and Yiwu, two cities in Zhejiang yet to report local cases from the latest outbreak, ordered the closure of entertainment venues such as bars and chess and card parlours.

Apart from the local symptomatic infections in Zhejiang, Shaanxi province and the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia reported one and five local cases respectively on Sunday.

As of December 12, mainland China had 99,780 symptomatic cases, including those arriving from abroad. The death toll remained unchanged at 4,636.

 

link  :  https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/12/14/chinas-zhejiang-fights-new-covid-outbreak-amid-omicron

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indonesia reports first case of Omicron variant

The case was detected on Nov 15, 2021.

The case was detected on Nov 15, 2021.

 

 

JAKARTA (REUTERS) - Indonesia has identified its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday (Dec 16).

The case, an employee at the Wisma Atlet hospital in Jakarta, was detected on Wednesday evening.

The minister said there had been no community transmission of Omicron so far - but there were five more suspected Omicron cases, comprising two Indonesians who had recently returned from the United States and Britain, and three Chinese nationals currently in quarantine in Manado, North Sulawesi.

The government is waiting for genomic sequencing to determine those cases.

The Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa last month, has now been reported in more than 70 countries, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), including in neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Preliminary evidence indicates that Covid-19 vaccines may be less effective against infection and transmission linked to the variant, which also carries a higher risk of reinfection, the WHO said.

 

link  :  https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/indonesia-reports-first-case-of-omicron-variant

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Indonesia reports first case of Omicron variant

bc853336c54fd3986d5ea12fb9f75794

Government extends restrictions to curb the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jakarta

 

Thu, December 16, 2021, 10:56 AM

 

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia has identified its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, the country’s health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said on Thursday.

The variant was detected on Wednesday evening in an employee at the Wisma Atlet hospital in Jakarta, who had no history of overseas travel.

The health minister said so far there was no community transmission, but there were five more suspected Omicron cases, including two Indonesians who had recently returned from the United States and from Britain, and three Chinese nationals currently in quarantine in Manado, North Sulawesi.

 

The government is waiting for genomic sequencing to determine those cases.

The Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa and Hong Kong last month, has now been reported by more than 70 countries, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), including in neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines.

Preliminary evidence indicates that COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective against infection and transmission linked to the variant, which also carries a higher risk of reinfection, the WHO said.

(This story corrects paragraph 3 to show 2 suspected Indonesian cases had returned from United States and Britain, not both from the United States)

 

link  :  https://news.yahoo.com/indonesia-reports-first-case-omicron-035649022.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.