Jakarta. Indonesia’s Omicron tally has now jumped to 572 following the government's recent announcement that it had detected 66 new infections of the highly transmissible coronavirus variant.

“With the recent addition of 66 new cases, there are now 572 Omicron cases as of today,” the Health Ministry’s Covid-19 vaccination spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said on Friday, as quoted by Jakarta Globe’s sister publication Beritasatu.com.

About 33 of the 66 fresh Omicron infections came from international travelers, with the rest being locally transmitted cases. 

All Omicron-infected patients must undergo quarantine.

As many as 339 patients undergo quarantine at the makeshift hospital Wisma Atlet in Kemayoran. Whereas the remaining Omicron patients do quarantine at the hospitals appointed by the Covid-19 Taskforce.

According to Nadia, there has been no difference in the symptom characteristics between the Omicron-infected international travelers and the locally transmitted cases.

A majority of the patients experience mild symptoms and are asymptomatic. Most common symptoms are coughing, runny nose, and fever.

She added, “about 276 people have completed isolation. About 296 others are still isolating.”

The rising Omicron cases have led to a surge in the national daily count. The proportion of the Omicron variant has exceeded its Delta counterpart.

The Health Ministry reported that Omicron probable cases began to rise at the beginning of 2022. “They mostly come from international travelers, and this impacts the Covid-19 daily count in Indonesia,” Nadia said. 

The Health Ministry will step up its testing, tracing, and treatment (3Ts) efforts in regions that potentially have a high transmission rate, according to Nadia.

"We have ramped up 3T in Java and Bali to anticipate the Omicron transmission," she said.

The ministry has distributed S-Gene Target Failure (SGTF) kits for all supervisory and government labs to identify potential Omicron cases, while also making sure adequate stocks. The government seeks to boost PCR and SGTF capacity to detect the cases as early as possible.

To avoid further transmission, the ministry will boost the tracing ratio in regions with over 30 positive cases. 

The Health Ministry also ensures the availability of centralized and self isolation rooms for mild and asymptomatic cases. Hospitals have readied enough beds for patients with moderate and severe symptoms, according to Nadia.