A third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has begun to take hold across the country, with the Omicron variant of the virus believed to have driven a surge in cases and hospitalization in the capital, where more than 80 percent of the population has been vaccinated.

On Thursday, the country saw 8,077 new confirmed COVID-19 cases, the highest official daily caseload since August last year when the country was struggling to contain the Delta-induced second wave, which peaked at 56,757 cases a month earlier.

While studies have shown that Omicron is less virulent than its predecessors, experts have warned that the high transmissibility of the variant could lead to a spike in cases that could disastrously overwhelm the healthcare system.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Dio Suhenda (The Jakarta Post)

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