Government Urged to Anticipate Covid-19 Cicada Variant Despite Not Yet Entering Indonesia

JAKARTA - A member of the Indonesian House of Representatives Commission IX, Nurhadi, has reminded the government to continue anticipating the emergence of the new Covid-19 variant BA.3.2, known as “Cicada”, even though it has not yet been detected in Indonesia. He stressed that the government must not be late in reading the early signals of the variant’s spread. “The emergence of the new Covid-19 variant BA.3.2, or Cicada, should not be met with panic but must serve as a reminder that the national health system must remain alert and adaptive even as we enter the post-pandemic phase,” Nurhadi said in his statement on Wednesday (8/4/2026). Therefore, according to him, the main focus should not merely be whether the variant has entered Indonesia or not. “But rather whether our early detection capacity is strong enough to read changes from the outset,” Nurhadi stated. According to Nurhadi, previous pandemic experiences show that the gap between global detection and a variant entering a country is often very short, while policy responses are frequently delayed. “For that reason, we urge the Government to strengthen genomic surveillance evenly, not just concentrated in major cities,” he said. He also advised the public to remain disciplined in implementing basic prevention measures, such as wearing masks when ill or in crowded spaces, protecting vulnerable groups, and following booster vaccinations for at-risk groups. “We also assess that the Government needs to prepare cross-sectoral scenarios from the outset. Do not let delays in reading early signals result in greater health, social, and economic impacts,” Nurhadi remarked. Previously reported, the Covid-19 variant BA.3.2 or “Cicada” has been detected in several countries and shows a trend of cross-regional spread. This variant has even been included in the World Health Organization (WHO) monitoring list due to its high number of mutations and ongoing development of its spread. Several countries that have reported findings of this variant include the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Kenya, and some countries in Eastern Europe. In the United States, the variant has been detected in at least 25 states and also found through wastewater samples as an early indicator of spread. To date, there is no evidence indicating increased disease severity or a major global surge in cases. The Ministry of Health has assured that the variant has not been found in Indonesia as of the end of March 2026. Nevertheless, surveillance continues to be strengthened to anticipate the possibility of the variant entering from abroad.