Last month we discussed the Omicron variant that had officially arrived in Indonesia in late-November 2021.

Read column ›

In the first month of 2022, we detected some positive signs, both abroad and at home (in Indonesia) as there is growing evidence that the Omicron variant is encouraging strong herd immunity around the world, while not making too many people ill to the extent that they require hospitalization.

Read column ›

While the 2024 legislative and presidential elections are still far away, we do expect Indonesian media to increasingly cover this topic in 2022, particularly if the COVID-19 pandemic eases, before this topic will really dominate national media in 2023.

Read column ›

In felt like a real déjà vu. Shortly before writing this introduction, the World Health Organization (WHO) said it added a new variant of concern to its list of COVID-19 mutations. This new variant, which is called Omicron (B.1.1.529), is believed to stem from South Africa or Botswana, and might be more contagious than the Delta variant that has been dominant over the past 12 months or so.

Read column ›