Indonesia reports 850 new Covid cases, 8 more deaths

Indonesia on Friday confirmed 850 new Covid cases, bringing the country's tally of infections to nearly 4.27 million, according to the Indonesian Health Ministry. Health authorities reported on Friday that the total number of infections of the Omicron variant in the archipelago has increased to 572 since Dec. 16, 2021 when the first case was officially detected. 

To fight the Omicron, the government would use mitigation strategies that are different from those they had applied against the Delta, said Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, who leads the government's Covid response team for Java and Bali.

"Indonesia is now much more ready in fighting the potential wave of the Omicron variant," Pandjaitan said. As of Friday, the death toll from Covid in the country reportedly rose by eight to 144,163, while 353 more people recovered from the disease during the past 24 hours. The rate of the country's national vaccination continues to rise. 

More than 174.29 million people have received their first doses of vaccines, while over 118.95 million have taken the second doses. The country has just begun its booster vaccination program for all adults, prioritizing the elderly and immunocompromised. 

The government has also called on citizens to avoid traveling overseas in the next few weeks to prevent further spread of the Omicron variant as authorities believed that international arrivals have become the largest contributor to the uptick in the COVID-19 cases.