The XE, XD, and XF subvariants have no specific symptoms and characteristics. Because the three subvariants are still similar to Omicron.
Secretary of the Directorate General of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated that until now the existence of the Omicron subvariant has not been found in Indonesia. This subvariant is said to be more infectious.
According to him, in the midst of declining Covid-19 cases, the government ensures that it continues to monitor through whole genome sequencing (WGS) and monitor the dynamics of Covid-19 at home and abroad.
"Until now, XE, XD, and XF subvariants have not been found in Indonesia," said Nadia during a virtual press conference, Tuesday (12/4/2022).
He explained, in principle, the government immediately detects the variants that exist in Indonesia and follows up on them as early as possible. Even though the number of cases continues to decrease, the number of target samples that must be examined must be maintained at a predetermined number, so that detection can still be carried out if new variants arise later.
The Spokesperson for the Covid-19 Vaccination of the Ministry of Health reminded that regardless of the type of variant, the strategy will remain the same, namely increasing body and community protection by immediately expanding the Covid-19 vaccination and completing booster vaccinations.
"As well as continuing to carry out health protocols. Therefore, we ask the public to remain aware of the transmission of Covid-19 because the virus can mutate and the transmission rate is high," he explained.
According to Nadia, the XE, XD, and XF subvariants have no specific symptoms and characteristics. Because the three subvariants are still similar to Omicron.
Nadia explained, the XE variant itself is a combination of the BA.1 and BA.2 genetic subvariants which were first detected in England on January 19, 2022.
In the UK already 763 cases of XE were found. It is said that he is more infectious than BA2, but then there is no epidemiological evidence to increase his change in society.
Meanwhile, the XD subvariant is a combination of delta AY.4 with Omicron BA.1. Then the XF subvariance was also found, especially in the UK but still in very small numbers. (Ministry of Health, between)
