The Director of Infectious Disease Prevention and Control of the Health Ministry Siti Nadia Tarmizi has predicted that the peak in COVID-19 cases caused by the Omicron variant will occur in the next two to three weeks, in early March 2022.
“It is predicted to be three to six times higher than the Delta variant,” said Tarmizi in a virtual press conference on Thursday 10th February.
Although there would be a spike in cases, the occupancy of beds in hospitals would be under control due to many Omicron-positive patients experiencing mild cases or being asymptomatic.
“Just a cough, runny nose, fever, sore throat, and oxygen saturation of more than 95 percent without comorbidities are expected to be able to self-isolate either at home or in centralised isolation places that have been provided,” she said.
Furthermore, Tarmizi said, COVID-19 vaccination is still one of the efforts to handle the pandemic.
“For that, let’s invite the elderly to get vaccinated because at this time the elderly vaccination rate is still quite low, only 55 percent,” she concluded.