Expanding Detection of Covid-19 Transmission

KOMPAS/Lasti Kurnia

An officer keeps track of passengers’ temperatures on Wednesday (11/3/2020) at Terminal 3 of Soekarno Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

The number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the country keeps growing. The disease has even claimed a life. Cross-sector collaboration is needed to strengthen screening and tracking.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS— The number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19, which was caused by the new coronavirus, continues to grow, and the disease has even claimed a life in the country. To prevent the spread of the disease, the screening and tracking of cases must be strengthened. Without collaboration from across sectors, this will be difficult.

According to Achmad Yurianto, the government spokesman for Covid-19, in Jakarta on Wednesday, there are seven more people with Covid-19 showing symptoms of cough, fever and colds after they returned from abroad. So, now there are 34 cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia, of which 20 have just returned from abroad.

Two patients, namely Case 6 and Case 14, were allowed to go home because after being tested twice the results were negative.

Regarding Case 27, a 33-year-old man, the source and place of the virus transmission is still unknown but most possibly inside the country. There are several people suspected of being the carriers of the virus. Observation and tracing is underway. Two patients, namely Case 6 and Case 14, were allowed to go home because after being tested twice the results were negative. However, they were asked to isolate themselves for the next 14 days and avoid close contact with others. The condition of other patients is improving.

A foreign woman, 53, who was suspected of having Covid-19, Case 25, died yesterday morning. This patient has a history of travel from Qatar and was taken to the hospital with severe illness due to complications of diabetes, hypertension, hyperthyroidism and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Bali administration secretary Dewa Made Indra said Case 25 arrived in Bali with her husband on Feb. 29. She had a fever so on March 3 she was taken to a private hospital in Bali and then referred to Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar. The patient was treated in the isolation room at Sanglah hospital starting Monday (9/3). The patient\'s sample was sent to the Health Ministry\'s Health Research and Development Agency (Balitbangkes), but the results were not known until the patient died. The patient\'s body was cremated in Bali.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Officers disinfect the interior of a train car on Friday (6/3/2020) at Pegangsaan Dua LRT depot in North Jakarta. Railway operator PT LRT follows strict procedures to clean and disinfect all train cars and stations every day to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Bali Health Agency has tracked those who had contact with Case 25. It found 21 people had contacts with Case 25 since she and her husband arrived in Bali until they were referred to the Sanglah General Hospital. All of those people had their health examined and were asked to reduce activities outside the home. Meanwhile, the husband of Case 25 was hospitalized.

In Bali, 48 people were suspected of having Covid-19, including the foreign woman who died. All patients had their samples tested and 38 were found to be negative for Covid-19.

Collaboration needed

Indonesian Public Health Experts Association chairman Ede Surya Darmawan said the tracking of cases related to Covid-19 transmission must be done quickly and accurately. Collaboration is needed to support that measure.

The standard operational procedures must be clearer with clear protocols that all parties concerned can understand.

"In the prevention of the spread of this disease, both the central government and the regional administration appear unprepared. The standard operational procedures must be clearer with clear protocols that all parties concerned can understand," he said.

The tracking of cases related to Covid-19 must also be expanded. More sample tests are needed, especially the samples of people who are in close contact with Covid-19 patients. So far, the examination has only been performed on people with close contact that show symptoms. In fact, an infected person may only show minimal symptoms, or even be asymptomatic.

The quarantine for people at risk of infection is also not optimal. People at risk include those who have been in contact with Covid-19 patients or who have recently arrived from a country where there is a Covid-19 case.

KOMPAS/FRANSISKUS WISNU WARDHANA DANY

Staffers stand by on Sunday (8/3/2020) at a tent that houses a coronavirus field hospital in SCBD, Jakarta. Artha Graha Peduli has set up 10 tents across the capital in a bid to cut the virus’ route of transmission.

Regarding Indonesia\'s capacity to test the samples, Yurianto said Balitbangkes was able to examine 1,700 samples per day so that it was considered adequate. The government is preparing the Institute for Environmental Health and Disease Engineering (BBTKL) in a number of regions. BBTKL officers are being trained at the health development and research (Litbangkes) office. Sample tests should only be performed by Balitbangkes.

Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto, at a press conference, emphasized the need for cross-sector cooperation to control the spread of Covid-19. This disease is a serious threat to the resilience of world health and a threat to the economic sector and public welfare.

Meanwhile, a number of suspected cases of Covid-19 were reported in cities and districts including in the provinces of West Java, East Java, Central Java and West Kalimantan. In West Java, according to the head of the West Java Health Agency, Berli Hamdani Gelung Sakti, 379 people were being monitored for Covid-19 and 30 patients were under close observation. Several patients that are under observation or showing symptoms and/or having just returned from countries with Covid-19 cases are being treated at hospitals in Cirebon, Bandung and Surabaya.

The surge in the number of people positive for Covid-19 has made residents enthusiastic to have them medically checked. According to Airlangga University Hospital president director Nasronudin, in the last two days around 50 people came to the hospital to be checked and the results were negative.

Meanwhile, the Surabaya administration again refused entry to a cruise ship that sought to dock at Tanjung Perak Port to prevent the transmission of Covid-19.(TAN/REN/SYA/XTI/DIT/COK/TAM/IKI/ESA/RWN/LAS/EDN/INA)