Jakarta. The total number of Omicron variant cases in Indonesia has increased to 46 as of Sunday, an increase of 27 cases from the earlier government count on Friday, according to the latest data from the Health Ministry.

A vast majority of Omicron cases involved travelers who returned from overseas trips, Health Ministry spokeswoman Siti Nadia Tarmizi said.

“We identified an additional 27 Omicron cases after whole-genome sequence analysis by the ministry's research and development board. Most of the patients are being quarantined at the Wisma Atlet [makeshift Covid-19 hospital] and the rest are being isolated at the Sulianti Saroso Infectious Disease Hospital,” Siti told a news conference.

Of the new 27 cases, 25 involved Indonesian travelers who returned from Malaysia, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Malawi, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, she said.

The two other Omicron patients are a Nigerian visitor and a health worker at Wisma Atlet.

All the new cases emerged after health workers conducted diagnostic and laboratory tests on travelers who were on mandatory 10-day self-isolation upon arrival from foreign countries, she said.

Southeast Asia’s biggest country has recorded just 92 new Covid-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking its total to 4.26 million since the pandemic began.

The last time Indonesia reported fewer than 100 cases in a day was on March 23, 2020, when 65 cases were added to the tally.

Coronavirus has killed 144,055 people in Indonesia since the first cases were confirmed on March 2, 2020.

About 53 percent of the target population, equivalent to 110.6 million citizens, have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 while 87 percent of registered health workers have received a booster shot. 

Of 34 provinces, nine have achieved a vaccination rate above the national average.

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The story has been updated with the latest Health Ministry figures and statements.