Indonesia Passes Peak of Omicron Wave

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

Residents wait their turn while participating in the Covid-19 vaccination at the Cipondoh Indah Village Office, Cipondoh, Tangerang City, Banten, Monday (7/3/2022). The vaccination is a requirement for residents who will buy cooking oil and buffalo meat in market operations in the same location. Indonesia appears to have passed the peak of the surge in Omicron cases.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS – Indonesia appears to have passed the peak of the surge in Omicron cases but we must remain vigilant, as Covid-19 cases and deaths are still high. Easing mobility restrictions for economic recovery must be accompanied by the health protocols.

“After passing the peak of the Omicron wave on 20 February, Covid-19 cases have gone down. As has been observed in other countries, the Omicron wave is characterized by a surge in cases and then a decline within a short period of time. This was also seen in Indonesia,” Covid-19 task force spokesman Wiku Adisasmito said in Jakarta on Tuesday (8/3/2022).

Within a month, weekly Covid-19 cases in Indonesia had soared to nearly 400,000. Within two weeks, Covid-19 cases had declined by half. The decline in cases was also followed by a decline in the bed occupancy rate at national Covid-19 referral hospitals for the last 10 days. “[The bed occupancy rate fell] from 38.79 percent previously to 28.2 percent,” said Wiku.

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According to the Health Ministry’s records, Indonesia reported 30,148 new cases over one day. However, active cases fell by 25,381 cases. Meanwhile, Covid-19 deaths increased by 401, the highest number of deaths during the Omicron wave.

Weekly reported deaths have also increased. Between 21-27 Feb. 2022, there were 1,708 deaths from Covid-19, which then increased to 2,099 deaths.

Immediate treatment is needed to reduce the risk of death. Those who are infected, even if they showed only mild symptoms, need to be checked to prevent the disease from worsening.

Along with the decline in active cases, Jakarta has eased the public activity restrictions (PPKM) to level 2 after almost a month of imposing PPKM level 3. Jakarta residents have been urged to get fully vaccinated or get a booster dose to increase protection. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said that the change in PPKM level was part of normal procedure.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Traffic density during work hours on Jalan KH Abdullah Syafei, East Jakarta, Tuesday (8/3/2022). The Jabodetabek agglomeration area has again implemented a level 2 community activity restriction (PPKM) for the coming week.

Transition phase

According to Wiku, the pandemic’s current and future conditions will be influenced by government policies on vaccinations, health protocol implementation, history of community infection and developments in the virus. “Amid this uncertainty, Indonesia must continue to recover other sectors, such as education and the economy,” he said.

Therefore, the government was beginning the transition and adaptation phase by gradually allowing activities and mobility for both foreign and domestic travelers in line with Covid-19 developments.

We will seek a balance between health and other interests, so they can work together

Secretary of the Health Ministry’s public health directorate general, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, added that a number of indicators needed to be met for Indonesia to transition to an endemic condition. These indicators included level 1 community transmission, fully vaccinating at least 70 percent of the population, testing and tracing to meet the standard and a transmission rate of less than 1.

“Allowing residents’ activities and relaxing the health protocols will be done in accordance with the [transmission] trend. We will seek a balance between health and other interests, so they can work together,” she said on Monday.

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Fully vaccinated international travelers only needed to quarantine for one day, according to Circular No. 12/2022 on health protocols for overseas travel during the Covid-19 pandemic. International travelers were, however, required to present a negative result from a Covid-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test.

Meanwhile, added Wiku, domestic travelers did not need to submit a Covid-19 test if they were fully vaccinated or had received a booster dose. Those who had received only their first vaccine dose or could not be vaccinated due to health reasons must present a negative test result before departure.

Postgraduate program director Tjandra Yoga Aditama of Yarsi University underlined that although the number of Covid-19 cases was declining, hospitals and healthcare facilities must always be ready to anticipate a surge in cases. Additionally, vaccination needed to be accelerated to cover 70 percent of the total population. (AIK/TAN/GIO/HLN/BRO/NCA)

This article was translated by Kesya Adhalia.