Day: December 24, 2021

There is a higher risk of household transmission of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 compared to the Delta variant, spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinations at the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said.

“The risk of transmission in households is higher with the Omicron variant since the variant can transmit among people faster,” she noted at an online discussion, accessed from here on Friday.

Omicron transmission could be three times faster compared to the Delta variant, she informed.

Besides, the Omicron variant can even infect people who have contracted COVID-19 before, Tarmizi pointed out.

Any spike in COVID-19 cases due to Omicron could burden health facilities, she cautioned.

If cases spike, health facilities would face limitations in providing optimal services even though the government has tried to anticipate the availability of health services, she explained.

“If the number of infected people increases rapidly, the rate of mortality and patients receiving treatment will increase because people will need (medical) treatment,” she added.

For this reason, the government needs to tighten control at the country’s entry points to prevent Omicron transmission, the spokesperson said.

She also reminded people to remain alert for the Delta variant as well as the variant has continued to mutate up until now.

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 24, 2021, at least 4,261,412 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the country, while 4,112,706 people have recovered, and 144,047 people have succumbed to the deadly virus.

On December 16, 2021, the Health Ministry confirmed the first Omicron case in Indonesia, with a janitor at the Wisma Atlet Emergency Hospital, Jakarta, diagnosed with the virus. Currently, the case count for Omicron in Indonesia has increased to eight.

Source: Antara News

A member of the Immunization Task Force of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), Dr Mei Neni Sitaresmi, stated that children vaccinated against COVID-19 may experience minor side effects.

“Parents must know that there is a possibility of (side effects) after children get inoculated. Akin to other vaccines, the side effects can be in the form of children feeling weak and experiencing muscle pain, flu, fever, and nausea,” Sitaresmi told the media here on Friday.

However, the doctor reminded that those side effects will be mild in nature and with a day or two of rest and staying hydrated, children will recover.

“If (the side effects) are really disturbing, they can be given paracetamol,” she explained at the “COVID-19 Vaccination is Safe for Children Aged 6-11 Years Old” event.

However, she urged parents to not give paracetamol medicine in the absence of side effects. Another side effect is pain or swelling in the body part where the vaccine dose was administered, but she deemed that it is normal.

Nevertheless, her team explained that the symptoms that emerge post-vaccination usually do not originate from the vaccine itself but due to vaccine-related stress or anxiety.

“In a lot of cases, the side effects occur because of responses related to immunization stress. Hence, it is not the vaccine but the injection process,” Sitaresmi explained.

Hence, to minimize the emergence of those side effects, parents should prepare their child before getting the vaccination in addition to following the screening process with integrity.

“This can be avoided and must be prevented, and of course, with good screening,” she pointed out.

Sitaresmi highlighted that until now, the recommended vaccine that has been registered is the Sinovac brand for children in the age group of 6-11 years. The vaccine is injected twice, with a one-month gap in between doses, at schools and health centers.

If children have been administered another vaccine brand, then the next vaccine dose should be given after a minimum of 14 days, she noted.

Source: Antara News

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has lauded the Ambon city government in Maluku province for successfully achieving 91 percent vaccine coverage by year-end.

The minister praised Ambon Mayor Richard Louhenapessy and government officials for achieving the high vaccination rate despite the city being among the most populous in the province and recording a high COVID-19 infection rate.

“I laud the Ambon city mayor and all government officials who have exerted their effort in collaborating with relevant parties to achieve the highest vaccination rate among Maluku province’s 11 cities and districts,” Karnavian said after presiding over a coordination meeting on vaccinations in Ambon on Friday.

Ambon city is the only region in Maluku that has shot past the 75-percent bar set by President Joko Widodo for vaccinations, he noted.

The minister urged Maluku regional leaders to emulate Ambon government’s vaccination success while noting that different regions may experience different challenges than Ambon.

“I hope other mayors and district leaders can emulate the success, at least by improving inter-party collaborations to expedite vaccinations, just like how the Ambon city authority did,” Karnavian remarked.

The minister said that he has visited several provinces that have recorded a low vaccination rate of below 70 percent. Those provinces are Maluku, North Maluku, Papua, West Papua, Southeast Sulawesi, and West Sumatra, he informed.

Despite Ambon city’s high vaccination coverage, the low vaccination rate in the elderly population is an issue that the authorities must promptly address, he added.

Karnavian also highlighted the discrepancy between the vaccination rate recorded by the Health Ministry (52.28 percent) and the provincial government (55.08 percent) for Maluku province.

“The discrepancy may occur because of Internet issues in several regions causing difficulties in submitting the data,” the minister said.

During the meeting, the minister agreed to recognize Maluku’s data as real data. The Health Ministry will adjust its record to match the province’s, he said.

Karnavian also urged Maluku authorities to expedite the second dose coverage, which is currently recorded at just 26.43 percent.

Source: Antara News

Delayed access to health facilities is the reason behind the high maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Indonesia, head of the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN), Hasto Wardoyo, has said.

“Let us prevent (maternal) mortality by improving the referral system,” he remarked in a written statement issued by the BKKBN, which ANTARA received here on Friday.

Based on the 2015 Inter-Census Population Survey (SUPAS), Indonesia still has a high maternal mortality rate of 305 per 100 thousand live births, he noted.

He highlighted that delayed access to healthcare occurs because many people, especially families, are hesitant to take mothers to the hospital quickly.

In fact, maternal deaths can be prevented if patients are referred quickly, Wardoyo said. In addition to delayed treatment, hypertensive disorders can lead to mothers developing preeclampsia or eclampsia, he added.

Furthermore, bleeding and complications, both obstetric and non-obstetric, as well as infections are also contributing to higher maternal mortality, he noted.

Given the factors that can increase maternal mortality, the BKKBN head emphasized, midwives have a huge role not only as care providers but also as decision-makers and in assisting families.

Midwives can also build understanding in the community about the importance of referrals for pregnant women, he added.

Meanwhile, a representative from the Indonesian Midwives Association, Tuti Sukaeti, said that there are conditions that can be considered as emergencies that include life-threatening health conditions during pregnancy or during and after labor and birth.

There are many diseases and disorders that can develop during pregnancy and threaten the mother and baby, she said. Obstetric cases, if not treated immediately, can result in the death of the mother and fetus, she expounded.

“Those are the main causes of maternal and newborn deaths. Then, (there are) basic emergencies during pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium. For example, cardiac and respiratory arrest, shock, convulsions, fainting, and shortness of breath,” she informed.

Source: Antara News

Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian confirmed that the COVID-19 booster vaccine will be available nationwide to the general public from Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

“The COVID-19 booster vaccine will be available through two schemes from January 4, 2022,” Karnavian stated after presiding over a coordination meeting on vaccination here on Friday.

President Joko Widodo had instructed the authority to offer the booster vaccine for the general public after earlier being offered solely to health workers on account of the emerging COVID-19 Omicron variant detected in several countries, including Indonesia, he said.

Karnavian remarked that the government will offer the booster vaccines through two schemes: free booster vaccines offered to residents registered as beneficiary recipients and residents not eligible to receive free doses can purchase the vaccine at an affordable price.

“The government will announce the booster vaccine price later, but I affirm that the booster vaccine is ready to be offered on January 4, 2021,” the minister noted.

Karnavian also confirmed that the ministry had issued a regulation to curb public activities during the Christmas and New Year holiday period and prevent a surge in COVID-19 cases after the period ends.

“I have issued the ministerial instruction to follow up on resolutions agreed at the meeting with the president, ministers, the police and military chiefs, head of the intelligence agency, and the attorney general. The regulation allows social functions for only 50 persons and prohibits marches and fireworks performance during the period,” Karnavian stated.

The regulation also directs city squares to be closed for the public from December 24, 2021, until January 2, 2022, while malls and restaurants are allowed to operate with maximum patrons at 75 percent of the establishments’ capacity, he remarked.

Related news: Indonesia remains vigilant of Omicron threat during holiday season

The minister instructed regional leaders and police and military officers to take mitigatory measures to prevent a sudden increase in crowds during the period.

“The government does not want another COVID-19 infection surge, and we must maintain the improved situation while expediting vaccination efforts,” Karnavian stated.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – A member of the Immunization Task Force of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), Mei Neni Sitaresmi, has stressed the importance of vaccinating children against COVID-19 to protect them from new variants, especially Omicron.

“We need to be more careful with the emergence of the new (COVID-19) variant called Omicron. According to reports, this variant is more contagious, and we are so concerned because children are more vulnerable to the Omicron variant,” she said at an online press conference, accessed from here on Friday.

Based on data provided by the COVID-19 Task Force, around 10 to 12 percent of Indonesians testing positive for COVID-19 are children aged 6–18 years, with more than 500 thousand children contracting the virus and more than one thousand children succumbing to it, she noted.

“If we look at the number of deaths, as of now, the number is more than one thousand (children); it’s not a small number,” Sitaresmi said.

She then called for the protection of children by immunizing them against COVID-19, saying the right to live, grow, and develop is among children’s rights.

Protecting children from getting infected is essential because, if children get infected, they could also be a source of transmitting the virus to people around them, she explained.

“Some children infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms. However, it must be underlined that children can be a source of transmission for those around them,” she stressed.

As part of efforts to build community immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government launched a nationwide vaccination program on January 13, 2021.

Recently, the country began vaccinating children in the 6–11 age group after Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin issued Ministerial Decree Number HK.01.07/MENKES/6688/2021 on the implementation of COVID-19 Vaccinations for Children aged 6–11 years.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Christians have become accustomed to celebrating Christmas with new habits after living with the pandemic for two years, chairperson of the Communion of Churches in Indonesia (PGI), Rev. Gomar Gultom, has said.

“We celebrate this Christmas with some uneasiness as the pandemic continues to encroach us; this is our second Christmas amid the COVID-19 pandemic,” Gultom noted at a press conference at Immanuel Church, Central Jakarta, on Friday.

He expressed the hope that Indonesian Christians would remain joyful in celebrating Christmas though they would only be able to attend Christmas Mass through online means.

Christians have become accustomed to new celebration habits as they have celebrated two Christmases amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

PGI has also prepared a recorded video of worship activities that will be broadcast on television and social media on Monday (December 27, 2021), he noted.

Gultom reminded churches organizing offline Mass to enforce the health protocols to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

“Churches must also remain modest in celebrating Christmas because most residents are yet to recover from the pandemic,” he said.

The chairperson informed that PGI and the Bishops’ Conference of Indonesia have agreed to set the theme of this year’s Christmas celebration as “Christ’s Love Inspires Our Brotherhood”.

He said that designating Christ’s Love as this year’s Christmas theme is to remind Christians to reunite and rekindle their brotherhood after years of conflict and political differences.

“Our nation is a nation that holds brotherhood in high esteem, yet conflicts and political differences somehow break us apart,” Gultom remarked.

In the spirit of the 2021 Christmas celebration, Indonesian Christians shall reunite in the spirit of brotherhood under Christ’s Love, he said.

Source: Antara News