Adapting to the Pandemic

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Female workers cross the red billboards installed in the Paseban area, Senen District, Central Jakarta, Monday (1/3/2021). The red color means there are positive cases of Covid-19 for more than 10 houses in one settlement (RT).

For one year now, Indonesia has been fighting the ferocity of Covid-19, which has claimed the lives of tens of thousands of people. The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, a new type of coronavirus, has not only exposed the fragility of our healthcare system but has also presented a new face in all areas of human life.

On March 2, 2020, President Joko Widodo announced two positive Covid-19 cases. This ended speculation that Indonesia was a country immune to the coronavirus.

Since the first case was detected in Indonesia, as of Monday (1/3/2021), the Covid-19 Task Force reported the cumulative number of Covid-19 cases reaching 1.34 million people. The total death toll reached 36,325 people.

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Covid-19 is not the first pandemic the world, including Indonesia, has experienced. In 1997, 2003 and 2009, Indonesia dealt with bird flu (H5N1), SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) and swine flu (H1N1). Further back, in 1957-1958, Indonesia was hit by the Asian flu.

The deadliest pandemic occurred more than a century ago, in 1918-1919, when the world was hit by an outbreak of influenza or the Spanish flu, which is estimated to have infected 500 million people and killed 50 million-100 million people. In Indonesia, it is estimated that there are 1.5 million to 4.37 million people killed in Java and Madura.

Ironically, the historical record revealed by historian Ravando in his book, The War on Influenza, shows that the Spanish flu pandemic bears many similarities to Covid-19, from slow response, poor coordination between central government and regional administration, to people taking advantage of the situation for personal gain.

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

A number of office employees leave the office building during recess in the Setiabudi area, South Jakarta, Monday (1/3/2021). In the third period of limiting micro-scale activities, employees may work in offices with a capacity of 50 percent and still apply health protocols.

This condition drove people working on their own to find solutions, ranging from seeking medical treatment to rituals, which is rather mystical.

Long before the Covid-19 pandemic, Indonesia agreed to implement the International Health Regulation in 2005 to anticipate a pandemic. The regulation requires all countries to set up a quarantine and screening system through prevention, detection and rapid response. "Such ability [to take this measure] should always be available. So, it is ready when there is an outbreak," said chairman of the Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts, Ede Surya Darmawan.

At the start of the pandemic, the capacity for testing, tracking and treatment of cases was still minimal. The testing of cases using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method is also monopolized by the Health Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Health. In addition, the availability of personal protective equipment, such as medical masks and hazmat suits, was also inadequate. Many health workers were infected.

Also read: Private Vaccinations Carried Out alongside Government’s Program

To control the pandemic, since the beginning of March 2020, the government has issued various prevention and control policies. In addition to establishing the Task Force for Covid-19 Handling Acceleration, the government has also imposed large-scale social restrictions and set the country’s public health at emergency status.

The magnitude of the impact of Covid-19 demand that the government expand the scope of the handling of the pandemic. President Joko Widodo also issued Presidential Regulation No. 82/2020 concerning the Committee for Handling Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery. There are still restrictions on the social and economic life of the people. Lastly, there is a policy to impose restrictions on community activities at the micro level.

Until now, the biggest weakness in handling the pandemic is the lack of testing, tracking and isolation of cases.

Although in the last few days the rate of transmission has decreased, the ratio of positive cases of Covid-19 in Indonesia, Monday (1/3), reached 18.6 percent, above the limit set by the World Health Organization (WHO) at 5 percent.

Until now, the biggest weakness in handling the pandemic is the lack of testing, tracking and isolation of cases. The reason is that the role of the community health centers (Puskesmas) as the spearhead of the handling of the pandemic, as carried out by China and Thailand, has not been optimized. "First-level health facilities must carry out the function of informing the public about [the dangers of] Covid-19 and how to prevent it," said Ede.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Residents who violate health protocols undergo social punishment by cleaning sidewalks in the Kota Tua area, West Jakarta, Sunday (14/2/2021).

Social impact

As a result of the pandemic, in the past year there has also been a decline in economic activity. According to a survey by Kompas Research and Development, December 2020, nearly 80 percent of respondents admit that family income has decreased.

The pandemic also changed social relations. The imposition of social restrictions that require physical distancing has caused activities in cultural art shows, sports and other activities to stop. Work activities and social interaction has also moved to virtual spaces.

The pandemic created the biggest disruption in education history as schools and other educational institutions closed their premises. A World Bank study shows that, globally, the level of learning disability in lower middle income countries has increased from 53 percent in 2019 to 63 percent in 2020. In Indonesia, the pandemic has forced more than 68 million children to study outside of their schools.

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The limited availability of education and telecommunication infrastructure prevents 19.4 million or 61 percent of Indonesian children from participating in distance learning. This has exacerbated gaps in education services, resulting in a decrease in learning ability (learning loss). The risk of children dropping out of school increases due to work or marriage to alleviate the economic burden of the family.

However, the hope of getting out of the dark tunnel of the Covid-19 pandemic has not been dashed. Kompas Research and Development Survey, at the end of February 2021, shows that 40.2 percent of respondents are ready and enthusiastic about life during the pandemic.

The pandemic has also sparked more research and innovation. In the past year, 61 innovative products by Indonesian people have been produced in an effort to deal with the pandemic under the Covid-19 Research and Innovation Consortium of the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency. The realization of the Covid-19 vaccine program since last January has become one of the weapons to overcome the pandemic. The government is targeting vaccination of 181.5 million people completed in 12 months.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

A health worker stands guard in the pharmacy installation room at the Covid-19 referral field hospital at Fort Vastenburg, Solo, Central Java, Saturday (27/2/2021). The hospital was built by the Indonesian Army to treat Covid-19 patients and support the Covid-19 mass vaccination program.

According to the Health Ministry vaccination spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the mass vaccination is a strategy to accelerate the achievement of vaccination coverage so that community immunity is formed. After the health workers are vaccinated, the elderly and public service workers begin to be vaccinated.

To speed up the vaccination drive, the number of locations and health workers to give the vaccine shots are expanded by opening vaccination posts in communities and offices.

Also read: Indonesia Calls for Equal Access to Vaccines

We can learn from other countries that are implementing mass vaccinations, for example India. According to the former Director of WHO Southeast Asia Infectious Diseases, Prof. Tjandra Yoga Aditama, in addition to government health facilities, India also involves private health facilities so that residents can easily reach the vaccination locations.

However, vaccination alone is insufficient for infection control. Case tracking must be accelerated and the application of health protocols must be tightened.

In the midst of the pandemic where it is not clear when it will end, adaptation and innovation in all fields as well as the readiness to control the transmission are needed so that we can survive the pandemic.

This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswoko.