Addition of Cases Recorded to be the Highest

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Online motorcycle taxis await orders at a shopping center in Central Jakarta, on Sunday (7/2/2021). The Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) in Java and Bali, and several other regions in the archipelago, have been implemented for two rounds. The second round will end on Monday (8/2/2021). Even so, the social restrictions have failed to suppress Covid-19 transmission. The number of new cases continues to increase in the country especially in small communities. The latest report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) shows that community transmission in Indonesia is categorized as CT 4 (community transmission), or transmission that occurs in the smallest communities.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — A number of provinces in Indonesia are experiencing an increasing trend of Covid-19 cases. In order to anticipate a spike in cases in line with increased mobility of residents ahead of Idul Fitri, the capacity of health facilities needs to be intensified.

The Covid-19 Mitigation Task Force report shows that the number of daily cases of Covid-19 reached 6,327 people on Friday (7/5/2021), the highest since April 4, 2021. The daily positive test ratio has also increased to 13.57 percent compared to the weekly average of 11.6 percent.

Of the 34 provinces, only Maluku and Gorontalo did not report any additional cases.

West Java had the highest number of cases, reaching 1,953 people, followed by Jakarta with 783 cases and Riau with 628 cases. Central Java contributed 524 cases, West Sumatra 283 cases, and East Java 232 cases. Of the 34 provinces, only Maluku and Gorontalo did not report any additional cases.

Also read: Three New Variants of SARS-CoV-2 Enter Indonesia

West Java also experienced the highest number of casualties, namely 35 people, followed by East Java with 22 people, Jakarta 20 people, Riau 17 people, and Yogyakarta 11 people. Meanwhile the addition of casualties in a day was 167 people.

The director of Prevention and Control of Direct Communicable Diseases of the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said there was an increase in cases in several provinces. "We are still investigating the causes," she said in Jakarta.

KOMPAS/DEONISIA ARLINTA

Siti Nadia Tarmizi

Apart from increased mobility, said Nadia, a number of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, such as B.1.351 from South Africa, B.1.617 from India, and B.1.1.7 from England, have been found in a number of regions. Variant B.1.1.7 is experiencing local transmission in Karawang, West Java; South Sumatra; North Sumatra; and South Kalimantan.

The WHO (World Health Organization) report on May 5 shows that, in the past week, the incidence of Covid-19 in Indonesia increased to 13.6 per 100,000 population compared to 13.5 per 100,000 in the previous week. From April 26 to May 2, the provinces that experienced a weekly increase in the number of cases by more than 50 percent compared to the previous week were West Nusa Tenggara (138 percent), Gorontalo (135 percent), and Riau Islands (57 percent).

In fact, the previous week, the figure was 0.36 per 100,000 population.

The number of deaths due to Covid-19 in a week increased, namely to 0.42 per 100,000 population. In fact, the previous week, the figure was 0.36 per 100,000 population.

Also read: Transmission of New Variants Found in Indonesia

The Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, said Indonesia must be more vigilant because the second wave of Covid-19 in India was followed by neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. "With the new variants, all countries are vulnerable," he said.

AFP/PRAKASH SINGH

Covid-19 coronavirus patients breathe with the help of oxygen provided by a Gurdwara, a place of worship for Sikhs, under a tent installed along the roadside in Ghaziabad on April 28, 2021.

In addition to limiting population mobility, including by enforcing the ban on mudik (annual exodus), Indonesia must tighten restrictions on entry, not only from India.

Situation in regions

Several regions reported an increase in hospital occupancy. In South Sumatra, for example, as of Thursday (6/5), the occupancy rate was 58 percent. According to the epidemiologist at Sriwijaya University, Iche Andriyani Liberty, this is a signal for the government to increase the capacity of health facilities, especially when the mobility of residents increases ahead of Idul Fitri.

In East Java, there was an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients, including at the Joint Regional Defense Command II Field Hospital and the Sukolilo Haj Dormitory, Surabaya. According to the head of the East Java Health Office, Herlin Ferliana, the new variant B.1.1.7 was found in a patient from Mojokerto, who had a history of an official travel to Congo, Africa, February 2021.

Also read: Pandemic Emergency Awareness

At least 13 crew members of a ship from the Philippines were tested positive for Covid-19 while berthing at Tanjung Intan Port, Cilacap regency, Central Java. This ship departed from India carrying refined sugar.

According to data from the Indonesian Health Care Network, around 500 health workers have not yet gotten their wages.

In the midst of an increase in Covid-19 cases, hundreds of health workers at the Covid-19 Emergency Hospital, Wisma Atlet Kemayoran, have not been paid since December 2020. According to data from the Indonesian Health Care Network, around 500 health workers have not yet gotten their wages.

KOMPAS/IQBAL BASYARI

Officers man a health and security post operating out of a marquee at the Wisma Atlet Covid-19 Emergency Hospital in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, Tuesday (24/3/2020).

Secretary of the Health Human Resources Development and Empowerment Agency of the Health Ministry Trisa Wahjuni Putri said incentives for health workers to mitigate Covid-19 from December 2020 to April 2021 will be paid immediately. (AIK/TAN/NDU/AM/BRO/DKA/JUM/ERK)

(This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo).