The presence of Omicron, which is a variant of the Covid-19 virus, is unsettling for some people, perhaps because not much is known about this new virus. According to Dr. Heri Setiawan, a lecturer at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universitas Indonesia (FPharm UI), the Omicron virus spreads quickly, so extra precautions are needed against this variant of the virus, such as immediate and complete vaccination.
“The transmission of this virus also needs to be suppressed, to prevent further mutations, by adhering to health protocols, namely maintaining distance, wearing masks, and not crowding in closed and poorly ventilated spaces,” said Heri. “Vaccination needs to be done in an effort to prevent severity and reduce hospitalization,” he said.
He conveyed this at a social service activity at the Pondok Cina Village Office, Depok, on Saturday (18/12), which was attended by 30 representatives of Pondok Cina Village residents. This activity was organized in collaboration with PT Sarana Multigriya Finansial, supported by the Directorate of Community Service and Empowerment UI. This social service is a manifestation of the role of higher education which is included in the Tri Dharma.
This activity is part of FPharm UI’s community service series themed “Healthy Program Against Covid-19” in 2021, which is chaired by Prof. Dr. Berna Elya, M.Si., Apt., FPharm UI Community Service Team, and Secretary of Pondok Cina Village Santoso Lilik, S.E. Previously, FPharm UI had held a webinar series aimed at educating the public about the Covid-19 Vaccine, and Strengthening the Psychological and Economic Aspects. The webinar can be watched again on Faculty of Pharmacy UI’s Youtube.
At the end of the event, the FPharm UI community service team gave healthy packages in the form of ready-to-eat food, masks, hand sanitizers, hand washing soap, vitamins, and honey to 100 residents of Pondok Cina Depok. In addition to the health packages, the FPharm UI team also distributed brochures with an appeal to maintain health protocols in preparation for the prevention of reinfection during the New Year celebrations.
Santoso Lilik said that the residents were looking forward to this social service. “Thank you for all the attention and care from UI, hopefully it can bring benefits to all of us,” Santoso said.
