According to the latest records, the number of new daily Covid-19 cases across the nation reached 46,843 cases on 9 Feb. 2022.
By
KOMPAS EDITOR
·3 minutes read
The government has again tightened the public activity restrictions (PPKM) in a number of regions across Java and Bali, including Jakarta. The restrictions in these regions have been upgraded to level 3 PPKM, the second highest level.
This means that the restrictions have been tightened again for all social, educational and religious activities. The sharp increase in the number of new Covid-19 cases requires imposing an emergency brake policy so it does not burden and cause misery to the people.
According to the latest records, the number of new daily Covid-19 cases across the nation reached 46,843 cases on 9 Feb. 2022. This figure is almost double the 26,121 new cases recorded two days earlier (7/2/2022). The increase is quite worrying, as the latest figure almost reaches the 56,757 cases recorded on 15 July 2021, at the peak of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country. In fact, according to expert forecasts, the ongoing third wave has not peaked yet.
On the one hand, the Omicron variant that is dominating Covid-19 cases at this time is indeed not as severe as the Delta variant that drove the second wave, especially among the fully vaccinated. However, the mild to moderate symptoms caused by the Omicron variant are often mistaken as simply the flu or the common cold, so people are reluctant to get tested. As a result, infected people can become a Trojan horse, bringing disaster to those closest to them.
If their close contacts are in at-risk groups, such as the elderly or people with comorbidities, it could become a serious problem. If vulnerable people are infected, they will require special care and sometimes may not survive.
However, isn’t every human life worth the same? These are people with names, friends, relatives, and their own lives.
According to the official data, 65 Covid-19 deaths were recorded on 9 Feb. 2022. The figure is still far below the 2,069 deaths recorded on 27 July 2021 at the peak of the Delta wave. However, isn’t every human life worth the same? These are people with names, friends, relatives, and their own lives.
On the other hand, even mild symptoms require treatment as well as isolation. According to the official website of the National Covid-19 Handling Task Force, the government has spent up to Rp 800 trillion, mostly from the state budget, on treating Covid-19 patients. This is why the prolonged pandemic has been very burdensome and detrimental to the country.
Another impact is that hundreds of health workers have been infected with Covid-19. They must go into isolation, leading to disruption of services in a number of health facilities in the regions (Kompas, 10/2/2022).
At present, 3.8 percent of specialist interns, or 521 out of 13,631 doctors in the specialist doctor education program, have tested positive for Covid-19. They are spread across several regions, the majority in Jakarta with 175 doctors. In fact, they are the spearhead of the type A hospitals that are the main referral hospitals for Covid-19 patients.
Therefore, there is no other way but to accelerate the vaccination drive, implement tighter health protocols and comply with the government’s mobility restrictions. We must make sacrifices and restrain ourselves so that the pandemic will end soon.
(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)