Indonesia's capital on high alert of 'upcoming battle' with Omicron

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Jakarta, Jan 19 (IANS) The administration of Indonesia's capital has called upon all residents in the city to be more cautious in the coming weeks amid predictions of a third wave of Covid-19 in the country.

The total number of confirmed Omicron cases in Jakarta on Monday rose to 825, the city's Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said, adding that as many as 582 of these reported cases were imported, while 243 were locally transmitted. Nationwide, the total number of Omicron cases on Monday rose to 840.

Jakarta has seen the number of Covid daily cases surpassing 250 since January 5, with the highest of 720 new cases recorded on Saturday, Xinhua new agency reported.

Patria said that Jakarta, home to more than 10 million people, is at a greater risk of being exposed to the variant since the city is the site of transits for foreigners entering the country and for Indonesians returning from overseas.

However, he expressed his confidence that Jakarta was "ready to face the battle against the new Omicron variant," and that the city administration would keep working together with the central government institutions in the fight against the virus.

The deputy governor also insisted that the public remain disciplined in following health protocols, underscoring the role of the masses in ensuring a success in suppressing the transmission of Covid.

In June 2021, Jakarta's healthcare system was on the brink of collapse, with more than 90 per cent of available Covid hospital beds occupied, due to the second wave of infections fueled by the highly-transmissible Delta variant.

Jakarta is still the biggest-affected region in Indonesia with more than 8,70,000 confirmed cases, according to official figures. The virus has killed more than 13,000 people in the city since the outbreak.

--IANS

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