People wearing face masks as a precaution against the new coronavirus outbreak, walk along a pedestrian crossing in the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The Indonesian government on Thursday announced that the country has detected its first case of omicron variant on Wednesday evening. Credit: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana
Indonesia has detected its first case of the omicron variant of the coronavirus in a cleaning worker at a hospital in Jakarta, the country's health minister said Thursday.
The patient has no symptoms and is being quarantined at the Athlete's Village emergency hospital, where the patient worked. The government created the facility in March 2020 to treat COVID-19 patients and as a quarantine venue for Indonesians returning from abroad.
Indonesia's Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin said the case was found on Wednesday, and he urged people to continue following recommended health protocols, including wearing masks and maintaining physical distance.
He also called for increased testing and to accelerate the country's vaccination program.
Indonesia, as of Wednesday, had recorded more than 4.2 million COVID-19 cases and more than 143,000 deaths. During the peak of the last surge in July, it hit 56,757 cases per day as hospitals became overwhelmed by sick patients and ran out of beds and oxygen supplies.
People wearing face masks as a precaution against the new coronavirus outbreak, walk through a train station in Jakarta, Indonesia, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2021. The Indonesian government on Thursday announced that the country has detected its first case of omicron variant on Wednesday evening. Credit: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana
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