Covid-19 Index Helps Public Monitor Regions

KOMPAS/TATANG MULYANA SINAGA

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil (left) accompanied West Java Deputy Governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum who took a blood pressure test before being injected with the Covid-19 vaccine at Hasan Sadikin Hospital, Bandung City, Thursday (14/1/2021).

The public now has a better tool to monitor the government’s pandemic handling at the regional level through the Indonesia-Kompas Covid-19 Control Index.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Indonesia-Kompas Covid-19 Control Index (IPC-19) can indicate regional governmental performance in pandemic management and handling. The public is expected to utilize data in the index to encourage the improvement of local Covid-19 control measures.

The data-based evaluation and monitoring that serve as the foundation of measurement in the Indonesia-Kompas IPC-19 are conducted on a weekly basis and published on every Thursday by Kompas.

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National Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said on Friday (10/9/2021) that the Indonesia-Kompas IPC-19, in its first publication on Friday (10/9), strengthened the evaluation of Covid-19 control in each region.

The task force, continued Wiku, was considering the rate of infection and the response capacity to assess the level of control in regions, provinces and regencies/cities. “With the current dynamic state, there is the possibility of a change in the system of assessment,” he added.

KOMPAS/BNPB

National Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito.

Separately contacted, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the director of infectious disease prevention and control at the Health Ministry, also said the Indonesia- Kompas IPC-19 report would describe the Covid-19 control efforts in each region. The local administration’s consistency would also be apparent in the trends reported.

“However, this Covid-19 control index takes less notice of the public’s role in Covid-19 control. In fact, this is important because if the positivity rate in a region is low but its mobility is high and public obedience is low, it can cause another spike in cases of infection. Anticipation cannot be optimal either,” she said Siti Nadia said Covid-19 control was a collective effort requiring the involvement of all parties. The government was striving to increase the 3Ts (testing, tracing and treatment) and vaccination. Meanwhile, she added, the public should support the implementation of health protocols at least through the 5Ms (wearing masks, washing hands, physical distancing, avoiding crowds and reducing mobility).

The indicators used in the Indonesia-Kompas IPC-19, according to Siti Nadia, are slightly different from those applied by the government. In the Indonesia-Kompas IPC-19, the indicators cover infection management and treatment management.

Infection management involves confirmed cases, the positivity rate and the coverage of vaccination. Treatment management measures the rate of recovery, mortality and the rate of bed occupancy from Covid-19 cases (Kompas, 10/9/2021).

ISTIMEWA/KEMENTERIAN KESEHATAN

Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the director of infectious disease prevention and control at the Health Ministry.

At present, the government measures Covid-19 control to determine the level of enforcement of public activity restrictions (PPKM) in accordance with the rate of infection and the capacity for response. The rate of infection indicators are the number of confirmed cases, the rate of hospital treatment and the death rate.

The response capacity concerns the positivity rate, the capacity of testing and tracing and the bed occupancy rate. The evaluation of health protocols is also executed weekly.

“Vaccination is not included because we consider vaccination beyond measurable indicators. Vaccination can only produce herd immunity when it has covered 70 percent of the total population,” added Siti Nadia.

Vaccination in Yogyakarta

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo paid a visit to Yogyakarta on Friday to inspect vaccination at the Jogja Expo Center and State Extraordinary School (SLB) 1 Bantul as well as holding a meeting with regional leaders. On the occasion, the President warned the Yogyakarta regional administration to be cautious about relaxing mobility restrictions.

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Yogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengku Buwono X agreed with the statement of the President in spite of the declining Covid-19 cases in Yogyakarta. The Yogyakarta regional government would maintain caution, he said, in easing public activity restrictions, including those on tourism. “It should not just be left open [to let a] case surge recur,” he said.

Also in Yogyakarta, the Bantul regency administration cooperated with PT Kalbe Farma Tbk and Kompas Gramedia Group to vaccinate 1,000 people. Bantul Deputy Regent Joko B Purnomo said the target of vaccination in Bantul was 823,000 people. Of the total, only 51.4 percent were already vaccinated.

The aid collected from readers of Kompas daily was expected to relieve the burden of the disabled whose condition had worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In the meantime, in Surakarta, Central Java, the Kompas Humanitarian Fund Foundation (DKK) distributed 300 packages of basic necessities to people with disabilities. The aid collected from readers of Kompas daily was expected to relieve the burden of the disabled whose condition had worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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President Joko Widodo reviewed the vaccination activities held at the Jogja Expo Center, Bantul Regency, Yogyakarta, on Friday, Friday (10/9/2021).

On Friday, Indonesia’s vaccine stocks increased with the arrival of an additional 358,700 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine through the Covax multilateral vaccination equity group. The shipment was the first of the dose-sharing support effort from the French government, out of a total commitment of 3 million doses.

Besides the support from Covax and friendly countries, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi said the Indonesian government was continuing to purchase Covid-19 vaccines to meet the demand of Indonesians.

On Friday, purchases of 615,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses and 639,990 Pfizer vaccine doses also arrived.

Calculated from the points of arrival, 225,536,190 vaccine doses have arrived in Indonesia, in bulk form as well as in ready to administer vials.

Intercepting new variants

Regarding the anticipation new coronavirus variants, including the Mu variant, Siti Nadia said the regions serving as entry gates to the country should tighten their supervision to prevent Covid-19 infection.

“Make sure that all the regions that serve as entry gates to the country have the same capacity in the control of arrivals of international travelers,” she concluded. (TAN/HRS/GRE/CAS)

(This article was translated by Aris Prawira).